Deleted Scenes
by RosalindHawkins
Summary: Deleted scenes and alternate versions/endings from my fanfics that I still think are good, even though I didn't end up using them in the stories. A bunch of random stuff that I can't bear to not post. Rated for language, smut. Deleted scenes from Lost In Darkness, Rock Bottom, Mumbleshipping, and Ballad of Bakura. Features Thiefshipping, Mastershipping.
1. Ballad of Bakura: Alternate Ending

Yami Bakura hadn't planned for Ryou's life to fall apart, that had been an unexpected bonus. The primary downside to those events was Ryou's subsequent dullness that made tormenting him no longer entertaining. Well, he didn't need such entertainment now that this body was finally his. He could smoke and drink as much as he wanted without Ryou begging and pleading him not to.

It also meant that all the barriers separating him from Marik were gone. Their lives became much better in the months following Ryou's crisis. Life was good, in the baddest way, and that was how they liked it. Sure, Amaya—that pesky ex-fiance of Ryou's—had texted yadonushi dozens of times and tried calling him dozens more than that, but they didn't care: they let his phone battery die, never caring to touch it. They had better things to do. They soon forgot about her entirely, caught up in the excitement of finally getting their wish of living together unrestrainedly.

Until one day, Amaya was at their door, looking mournfully guilty. Marik opened the door and let her in, and she stepped inside tentatively. Marik closed the door, and she turned, coming face to face with Yami Bakura and his menacing smile.

"I-I want to talk to Ryou," she stammered nervously. Looking around the apartment, she could tell that the place had gotten worse since she'd last seen it.

"Well, he doesn't want to talk to you," Bakura snorted derisively, crossing his arms as he glared at her. "I suppose I should thank you, though. Now that he's given up on life, I finally get the full control I always wanted."

"Given up?" she echoed faintly, eyes growing wide.

"Yes, you ungrateful bitch, he's given up on everything. It's wonderful, really. He turned over all his money to us, and I'm allowed to do whatever I want. He'll even still do the chores for us now and then, when we force him to."

"Ungrateful…?" May repeated, confused and disturbed by all that she was hearing.

Yami Bakura turned to face Marik, who joined him at his side, clinging to him in a way that made May uncomfortable. "What do you think, should I tell her?"

Marik nodded, his expression inscrutable.

"I throttled him, and he let me do it because we'd made a deal: if he let me practice my strangulation skills on him that one time, it would buy you three whole years of being safe from any direct or indirect harm from me. He let that happen to protect you."

As May reeled with this knowledge, Bakura grinned in a way that disturbed her, and took a step forward, leaving Marik behind. She stepped backwards as he continued advancing, her back soon bumping up against the door. She was trapped.

"These days, he doesn't care about anything anymore. I bet he wouldn't even notice if I violated our agreement." He leaned forward, and she lifted her hands to shove him away, but he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her hands above her head. He squashed her body between his own and the door so that she couldn't struggle. She stared up at him with such horror and panic in her gaze that Yami Bakura couldn't help but revel in a sadistic laugh.

"Where's your Ryou now, hm? Oh that's right, you drove him away and you'll never see him again. Nobody ever will but Marik and I. The worst part for you is that he wants to stay buried in the shadows and the darkness. If I were holding him prisoner, you could go crawling back to Yugi and beg him to come over here and beat me in a duel to earn his freedom. But he's not a prisoner; he wants to be there, because of you."

He watched realization, guilt, and pain sweep across Amaya's features in rapid succession, and felt that familiar sadistic pleasure that he used to feel when tormenting Ryou. He increased the pressure in his grasp, and watched her writhe in panic and fear.

"Stop, let me go!" she gasped. This was more than she'd bargained for. It was only her second direct interaction with Yami Bakura, for Ryou had done his best to keep the evil spirit out of reach of Amaya, and though he'd warned her that the spirit was sadistic and evil, and she'd seen the evidence for herself, she'd never anticipated finding herself in the position of being his victim, especially not after beating him in a shadow game.

"I don't take orders from little girls," he crooned, his fingernails digging into her skin as he brought one hand to his mouth and bit into her finger, making her yelp with pain. "Hmm, too bad you'd be missed if we tried keeping you down here," he remarked casually, and May's knees turned to jelly, her stomach churning at the prospect.

"Please, can you try to call him?" she begged. "I need to talk to him immediately about something very important." She had missed Ryou terribly in the past half-year. She would wonder what he was doing, how he was getting along, if he was taking care of himself. She'd wonder if his yami was still hurting him, or if the cruel torture were being withheld from him, now that his association with Amaya had ended. If Bakura told the truth, however, it would mean that Ryou was worse than he'd ever been before. And it was her fault. After all, she was the one who'd been selfish: simply because she wasn't sure if she could handle the vicarious pain she experienced when he was hurt, she doomed him to more of the emotional and physical pain that he'd feared and hated most.

"Why should I? It wouldn't do any good; I doubt there's anything I could do to force him out of there now. It's almost as if he's banished his own soul to the Shadow Realm. Ironic, isn't it? After all of the times I tried to banish his soul from this realm and all the times he managed to hold his grip on life, he's finally chosen to relinquish it all on his own." Yami Bakura chuckled darkly into her hair, leering at her creepily. He bent his head, making as if to bite her neck, when he halted, almost flinching. He felt a stirring in his chest, a strong protest from his long-dormant host. He growled, then bit down hard on Amaya's neck, making her cry out. He'd bitten her hard enough to draw blood, and as he licked at the mark greedily, he felt Ryou suddenly seize control. It was such a surprise that his concentration slipped for a moment.

"No! You promised you wouldn't touch her!" Ryou yelled, clutching at his head as he stepped back, Yami Bakura fighting to regain control. He fell to his names as he shivered and struggled, the two souls locked in a furious battle inside their shared body.

"You should respect me more!" Bakura growled, furious with himself for letting his host surprise him and subvert his control. He was doing everything he could to maintain a handhold of power in the situation. He hadn't expected Ryou to be this strong after letting his soul waste away in limbo for so long.

"Get out of my head!" Ryou screamed, his body shaking in terror as his hands gripped his head desperately. He looked like he was in pain, and it was all Amaya could do to keep herself from bursting into tears. It was at this time that she briefly registered Marik's absence from the room. She didn't know when he'd left or where he'd gone, but she didn't really care. Ryou was her only concern.

His body had relaxed into a small, crouched ball on the floor, still shaking, but the storm was past, for the moment at least. She tentatively walked closer and knelt beside him, her mind scrambling for something appropriate to say at a time like this.

"You should leave, before he comes back," Ryou choked out, almost inaudibly. He was crying, and she hadn't even realized it before. She threw her arms around him, pulling Ryou's weak form into a tight embrace.

"I love you, Ryou. I can't bear to leave you again," she whispered, finally starting to cry herself. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I-I shouldn't have..." She couldn't bring herself to continue, but that was alright. They both still remembered all too clearly the day that Amaya had broken off her engagement with Ryou.

"It's not safe for you here," he insisted faintly. "He has too much power, and I gave it to him." He shuddered as he sighed, his arms finally wrapping around her in return. "If I were stronger, I wouldn't have let him have his way. I wouldn't have given up, and you wouldn't be in danger now..." He gasped suddenly, jerking away from her as his hands flew to his aching chest. The Millennium ring was there now, but it hadn't been before. It was impaling his chest, the indifferent prongs piercing his shirt as well.

Amaya cried out in panic and rushed forward to help him, only to be knocked back by a sudden blow that left her sprawled on her back on the floor. In the moment that it took her to get her grips on what was happening, Bakura had stood and approached her, smiling triumphantly down at her with a chilling glare.

"Looks like I win," he observed, then let out a malicious laugh. "Now get out, while I'm still feeling generous, or you'll never see daylight again."


	2. Mumbleshipping: Alternate Scene

**Author Notes:** Seto Kaiba gets upset when pictures of hi being abused by Gozaburo are released to the press, so he runs off to Mexico to forget about his problems. There, he runs into NCIS special agent Gibbs, who helps set him straight.

* * *

Former NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs sat back against the sand dunes as he offered a bottle of beer to the lanky brunette sitting next to ho him. He truly didn't mind the company that the troubled young man provided. He'd found him washed up at the local cantina, half-drunk, with no connections, and nowhere to go. Someone had recognized him as a famous businessman, comparing him to the front page of a tabloid, consequently sending him into a rage. There would have been a fight if Gibbs hadn't stepped in and restrained the man. While Gibbs didn't recognize him from pop culture, he had scene the front page of the tabloid clearly enough to be concerned. The large picture had shown him as a small child crouched on the floor while a full-grown man stood over him, holding a chain attached to the collar the child was wearing. The stances and expressions screamed abuse to Gibbs, which was enough for him to see that he wasn't just being irrationally aggressive, but was acting out because of something deeper. He'd taken him back to the shack on the beach, letting the lanky brunette stay with him and Mike Franks until he got his head on straight.

He'd said that his name was Seto Kaiba, not that it meant much to Gibbs. Rather than letting the man—who was young enough for Gibbs to still consider him a kid—go to the bar every day to get wasted, Gibbs put him to work gathering wood for the boat he was building. He verbally resented him for it, but at the same time, he seemed grateful to have something to do with his hands, something to focus on besides his own problems.

It was the end of his third day with Gibbs when they finally got to talking about the issue. The were sitting on the beach watching the sunset, each with a bottle of beer, when Gibbs finally broached the subject.

"What are you running from?" he asked without preamble.

"My past," Seto answered after several moments, admitting it grudgingly. "It's finally caught up to me, and the whole world knows more or less what happened. Of course, there are people who will deny the authenticity of the photographs, people who will come up with ridiculous conspiracies and drag my name through the dirt."

"Why does that bother you?"

"I don't want people to see me differently. I don't want people looking at me and seeing the helpless kid that was abused by my bastard of a step-father." Seto took another gulp of his beer. "Nobody knew about that, and nobody needs to. It's not relevant."

"Whether we like it or not, our pasts make us who we are," Gibbs pointed out calmly. "It happened. You can't deny that."

"Yes I can," Kaiba protested stubbornly. "It's in the past, it's behind me. I don't need people to be dragging me back to my past. I don't need to relive that part of my childhood. Living through it once was more than enough."

"Do you have any living family members?"

"Yes, my little brother Mokuba," the young CEO answered with a sigh. "He wasn't abused like I was. Even when it was happening, he didn't know. I kept it a secret from him and everybody else."

"And you just abandoned him to come here?" Gibbs was being awfully persistent, and for whatever reason, Seto had no problem opening up to him. Maybe because he was so far removed from Seto's natural habitat that he knew this couldn't possibly come back to haunt him.

"I told him that I was leaving, and he's not alone. I left him in good hands with people I trust to take care of him," he added pointedly.

"Did you tell him that you were coming back?"

Seto opened his mouth to speak, shut it again, then took another swig of his beer. Gibbs rolled his eyes and stared out at the ocean. "Mokuba knows that I will always come back for him," Seto said with conviction.

"Don't take him for granted. One day you'll be gone, and he won't be there when you come back."

Seto finished the bottle in silence and reached for a second. "I will go back," he said firmly. "I always go back."

"Next time, don't leave in the first place." Gibbs said.

*a****

When Seto Kaiba stepped into his mansion for the first time in a whole week, he looked rather disheveled and far more casual than most people had ever seen him.

"Seto, you're home!" Mokuba exclaimed as he ran towards his brother, throwing his arms around him as he started to cry. Seto crouched down so that he could embrace his little brother properly, holding him tightly as the child sobbed against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. I'm never going to leave you again." It hurt Seto to see his brother so upset, but it hurt even to know that he was the cause of that distress.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Mokuba asked between sobs. "Why didn't you tell me what Gozaburo did?"

Seto's own eyes watered for a moment, but he blinked away the unshed tears. "Because you were too young to know," Seto answered quietly, scooping Mokuba up in his arms as he stood, allowing Mokuba to continue clinging to his neck as he walked further into his house. Mokuba continued to cry, which made Seto increasingly uncomfortable. "Please don't cry, Mokuba. I'm okay now and Gozaburo is gone. Nobody can hurt us ever again." Mokuba sniffled as he nuzzled in against his brother's shoulder.

After a few moments, he asked curiously, "Big Brother, why do you smell like coconut?" He didn't get an answer to that, but the hallways echoed with the sound of his brother's hearty laughter.


	3. Rock Bottom: Chapter 13 Alternative

**Author Notes:** This would have replaced a chunk of Chapter 13 of "Rock Bottom." This scene happens in the version of the story where Gozaburo is especially sadistic and used a poisoned whip on Seto, thus sending him to the hospital. This is as far into that scene before I gave up on the idea, deciding that I'd already tortured Seto enough.

* * *

When Ryou and the others arrived at his house, they went inside to find it empty: no Mrs. Bakura, no Marik, and no Seto. Ryou found a note on the fridge that contained a message that sent most of them packing back into Joey's car.

"Took Seto to St. Mark's Hospital on 7th. Call me when you get home. ~Mom"

After the cramped car ride to Ryou's home, they decided it'd be better—and safer—if they didn't all go to the hospital at once. Anzu and Yugi had offered to stay behind with Serenity—Ryou would have left Amane behind as well, but none of them knew sign language, so he felt it would be better for her to stay with her brother. Joey promised to come pick them up as soon as he dropped the others off at the hospital, then he left with Ryou, Mokuba, and Amane. As Ryou called his mom to ask what was wrong and Joey drove them to the hospital the quickest way possible, Mokuba and Amane held hands in the back seat, sitting right next to each other even though they didn't need to. When Ryou hung up, Mokuba spoke right away.

"What's wrong with Seto?" he demanded, squeezing Amane's hand as anxiety gripped his young heart.

"My mom says that he started running a high fever around mid-day, so she took him to the hospital to make sure that he would be alright. They're giving him medicine, so he's going to be alright, Mokuba. Don't worry."

Joey glanced over at Ryou, wondering just how sugarcoated that information was. Judging by the Brit's pensive expression, quite a bit of it. Ryou adjusted the speaker volume, turner up the music in the back speakers while turning it down up front.

"They can't figure out what's wrong." He whispered his confession to Joey, feeling obligated to at least tell HIM the truth. "He wasn't sick last night, he was hurt. I don't know what happened, I don't even know if my parents know what happened, but he was hurt so badly that by the time he got to our house he couldn't walk anymore."

Joey's mouth was drawn in a hard line as he felt the guilty tug to share what he knew.

"He was hurt last week too, though right?" he asked. Seto had told him about his conversation with Mr. Bakura, so he knew that Ryou knew about that, at least.

"Yeah, but this was a lot worse. Hey… how did you know about that?" Little red flags were going up in his mind as Ryou realized that something more was going on.

"He… told me," Joey answered, his eyes on the road as he continued to drive.

"What do you know that I don't?" Ryou asked, eyes growing wide.

"I know… more than he would want me to tell you," Joey said in a low voice, and Ryou didn't think he'd ever seen Joey so serious before. "I'd tell you, but it's not my place to say."

"Joey!"

"I'm sorry, but I promised I wouldn't!" the blond apologized as he turned into the parking garage of the hospital. "If I break my promise, he'll never trust me again." Joey sighed as he thought about how Seto would react to being betrayed. "I only recently got my act together, and I don't want to spoil this."

Ryou fell silent. He knew that Joey was right, and as much as he hated that Seto and Joey were keeping a secret from him, he had to accept that there was something Seto didn't want him to know.

"It's not because he doesn't trust you," Joey said quietly, trying to reassure Ryou. "He didn't even tell me himself, I had to figure it out on my own and confront him about it. He hated that I did, still kind of hates that I know, but he didn't have a _choice_ but to trust me." Joey parked the car and turned the ignition off. "Alright, let's go find your brother, Mokuba," he said at a normal volume as they climbed out of the car.


	4. Rock Bottom: Deleted Monster World Game

**Author Notes:** The deleted Monster World scene from "Rock Bottom." It's unfinished and has iffy quality, but I still hope you enjoy it!

* * *

The game started innocently enough, with each person picking a figurine to represent themselves: Yugi chose the Beast Tamer, Anzu was the Magician's Apprentice, Seto used the Lord of Dragons, Marik picked the Blue Mage, and Joey chose the Flame Swordsman. Of course, because all of them were playing for the first time, their characters started at level one with somewhat low stats. Ryou was the self-appointed game master, since he knew better than anybody else how to play the game. He sat at one end of the table with the laptop and the dice while the other five were seated at the opposite end with another pair of ten-sided dice.

As they began the adventure, they encountered an NPC who directed them to Castle Zorc, where a powerful demon resided who terrorized the nearby villagers. They ventured into the forest that separated the village from the castle and were ambushed by a monster. Anzu was attacked first, and the dice were not in her favor.

"Looks like Anzu takes damage," the game-master said, wearing a strange smile. None of the adventurers had yet realized that strange, smog-like shadows had enveloped the perimeter of the room. Just then, Anzu gasped and slumped forward on the table, a flash of light enveloping her figurine before it came to life.

"Anzu!" Yugi cried as his best friend lost consciousness. Marik was staring at Ryou with narrowed eyes, and as he began to chuckle, his suspicions were confirmed.

Marik began to shout something at Bakura in Egyptian, something that Seto could only describe as a spell or invocation, and the Brit began to look furious. With a single, shouted, Egyptian word from the game-master, all of the adventurers lost consciousness, their souls transferred to their figurines.

As Seto awoke on the game-board, he realized that he'd forgotten what it felt like to live without pain. It felt wonderful. He stood, joining the others upright on the diorama board as they stared up at their friend in shock.

"Ryou, what have you _done_?" Seto demanded of his gentle-spirited friend, confused and outraged by his sudden change of heart.

"That's not Ryou," Marik said darkly. The game-master laughed cruelly and stood, only to gape at the far side of the table in shock. The adventurers turned around, and it was their turn to stare up in shock. Yugi and Seto were still sitting upright, arms crossed smugly as they smirked at the game-master.

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?!" Joey yelled frantically. "I'm freakin' out ovah here!"

Seth looked down at the game-board, his expression gentling as he made eye contact with Seto. "Hello, Seto."

"You!" Seto said accusatorily. The voice was similar to his, but not the same. It was the voice from his dream, the one who had called him "child" and "son."

"Yes, Seto, it's me. I suppose I owe you an explanation, but we have more pressing issues at hand." He looked up at their opponent, his eyes appraising the threat he truly posed to them.

"I still don't get it. Who are these people?" Anzu asked, looking perplexed.

"I think he's from the Millennium Puzzle," Yugi answered thoughtfully as he gazed up at his mirror self. "Ever since I solved it, every time I duel or game I feel like there's a voice guiding me."

"So can we trust these guys?" Joey asked dubiously.

Seto stared up at his other self uncertainly, and he simply stared back, lifting one eyebrow at him.

"Well, Seto, do you trust me?"

"I don't even know your name."

"Seth." He tilted his head in a gesture that was both proud and archaic. "My name is Seth."

"And what's Big Yugi's name?" Joey asked.

"I have been called many things over the centuries. Some have called me Yu-Gi-Oh, some have called me Pharaoh." Seth looked over at the one seated beside him, a sad curiosity in his gaze for a moment.

"Yes, we can trust them," Yugi said, staring up at his own doppelganger with awe and respect.

"If we're finished with the introductions," the disgruntled game-master said sourly, "I would like us to get on with the game."

"Why, what's in it for you, ya big jerk? And who are you anyways, if you're not Ryou?" Joey demanded, for once asking the right questions.

"Yugi, I know you've heard the legends." His eyes twinkled with sadistic delight. "I am a thief and a stealer of souls, and I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. Now, I have the chance to acquire two more." He looked at the two sitting across the table from him. "That is, of course, assuming that you would like to continue the game and not forfeit, for if you were to forfeit the match, your friends' souls would become a permanent part of my collection. If you lose, however, your souls will become a part of my game as well, leaving your bodies comatose and your Millennium Items unguarded."

"What Millennium Item are you talking about?" Seto asked. He didn't own one, as far as he knew. Seth reached behind his back and produced the Millennium Rod, showing it to Seto. "Oh, that thing. I didn't know it had a name." He put it away, his expression growing serious.

"We accept your challenge," Pharaoh said, still smirking at his opponent on the opposite end of the table. He glanced at his companion, then continued, "We will take turns rolling the dice for them and continue with the game." He grabbed the dice from the table, then said, "I believe it is the Beast-Tamer Yugi's turn?"

The game continued, but now everybody was on edge, aware that their very lives were at stake. Yugi was able to convert the monster they were battling into an ally, causing Anzu to vocalize her faith in the power of friendship. Again. When they tried to help a stranger in the forest, they were all shocked that it turned out to be the Dark Lord Zorc himself. Joey actually managed to slice off Zorc's arm,


	5. Rock Bottom: Alternate Death T-5 Duel

**A/N:** The uncut, extended version of the Noah v. Seto duel in Death T-5 in Chapter 22 of "Rock Bottom." I was trying to incorporate more little nods to the Season Zero canon, but I feared that it would have made more sense for them to shut down the duel when instead of letting it continue, and that people wouldn't really think it fair to give Seto the title of World Champion if the Duel Arena glitched and helped him to win (which isn't what happened, it just looks like that). I put a lot of hard work into this scene, specifically the duel itself. I know I only start giving real details on it a few turns in, so I don't give you the whole picture (or even their life-point counters), but I'm very proud of it all the same.

Yet, I had to cut it down because the chapter was way too long and both Noah and Seto were acting a bit bratty (for the couple of days it took me to write this and a few other scenes, those two and Seth were acting _**REALLY**_ bratty, and I don't even know why; I had to go back and so some editing).

Without further ado, please enjoy this duel!

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Seto and Noah were glaring at each other across the Duel Arena in an even larger stadium than where he'd faced Adina.

"This ends here," Seto asserted as he shuffled his deck and set it down to the right-hand side.

"I agree." Noah must have been wearing colored contacts, because his eyes were now a disturbing yellow shade that made his eyes look vaguely reptilian. "After all, this is the final stage, and I am the final boss, not to mention _your_ boss." Noah chuckled as Seto scowled at him.

"Enough with the chit-chat. It's time to duel!" The crowd went crazy over Seto's words, and the two teenagers drew their hand.

"Hey, Seto!" Joey's voice made Seto look off to his left, where he saw Yugi, Joey, and Anzu standing just inside the arena, held back from approaching the duelists by a pair of security guards.

"Beat that Noah creep, Seto!" Joey shouted, cheering on his friend with complete disregard for those in the grandstands who might prefer Noah to win.

Seto sighed in relief when he saw that his friends were alright. If anything had happened to them because of all this-his antagonism towards Noah, Noah's grudge against him, their mutual desire for revenge-he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Only a couple of turns into the duel, it became apparent to anyone with half a brain that they had some kind of personal history, that this wasn't their first time encountering each other.

"I guess when you're not as rich as me, it's harder to get good cards," Noah mocked, his arrogance grating on Seto's patience, which was wearing thin.

"A _true_ duelist would know that having good cards is only a small part of the game." Seto's words made Noah scowl as he laid a card face-down. "A _true_ duelist also knows better than to underestimate his opponent. After all, that's what you did last time, and how did that work out for you again?" Seto smiled smugly as Noah reacted with visceral rage to his comment.

While Joey kept shouting encouragement to Seto, Anzu turned to Yugi with a worried expression.

"Last time?" she whispered. "What's he talking about?"

Yugi shrugged; he had no answer for her. As she turned back to watching the duel, Yugi studied Seto carefully. He'd never seen him this angry before, never heard him speak so coldly with such clear intent to harm and upset. Nobody was perfect, true, but Yugi would have thought that Seto would know better than to engage in Noah's game of ad hominem attacks during the duel.

"Stay focused, Seto!" he called. "Don't let him mess with your head!"

Six or seven turns in, and they seemed to be evenly matched. There was no clear victor as of yet, since both duelists were impressing the audience with strategies and card combinations that they'd never thought of before.

 _Come on,_ Seto wished hard as he placed his fingers on top of the his deck. _Heart of the cards, heart of the cards..._ He drew his card. One look at it, and he threw back his head in triumphant laughter.

"Looks like you're finished, Noah!" Seto smirked as he felt his chest swell with pride. "You won't last very long at all, in fact."

"Don't be so sure! I'm the world champion, and don't you forget it!"

"You won't be champion for much longer!" Seto threw down his new card. "I summon Lord of Dragons, in defense mode!" The holographic lord appeared in his full glory as Seto reached for his hand and lay down a magic card. "And, I equip him with Flute of Summoning Dragon, allowing me to summon any two dragons from my hand or deck without making a sacrifice!"

Noah's overconfident grin began to fade from his face as Joey shouted at Seto, "Yeah, now you got 'im! Take 'im out!"

"And I choose my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" It was a glorious moment as the pair of magnificent Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared in holographic form, stretching their long necks and letting out a fierce cry.

Joey's jaw dropped while Yugi gasped, dumbstruck.

"Isn't that a really rare card?" Anzu asked. Yugi nodded. "Then how does he have two of them?"

"Grandpa gave him one, but I don't know about the other," Yugi answered, still staring up at Seto and the holograms.

Seto savored the look of fear and panic on Noah's face.

"It's against the rules to use stolen cards!" Noah spluttered, grasping at straws for some reason to disqualify Seto at this point. His hand was terrible, and while he had good cards in his deck, nothing seemed to be working the way it should for him in this duel.

"They're not stolen!" Seto shouted, furious for being accused of such a thing.

"You can't possibly afford that card!" Noah screamed, throwing something of a temper tantrum, which just made him look like a giant child.

"There are other ways to get a card than buying or stealing it," Seto snapped, crossing his arms.

"One was a gift from a friend," he answered coolly. "The other I won from you-"

"But you cheated!" Noah whined.

"I did not." Seto's tone had dropped to a freezing temperature. "The moderator even agreed that it was a fair game with no foul play. Maybe you should stop talking before you make yourself look any worse than you already do. Now Blue-Eyes, attack with white lightning attack!"

The dragons sprang into action to do their master's bidding, taking out two of the three monsters on Noah's side of the field and shrinking his remaining life-points. At Seto's command, the Lord of Dragons struck down the third, final, weaker monster on Noah's side of the field. Another attack like that, and he'd be finished.

Seto put down another card from his hand, saying, "I lay one card face-down and end my turn."

Noah looked furious and flushed as he glared at Seto with pure loathing. _One day, I WILL destroy you. I will break you into a million bloody pieces so that none who know you will be able to recognize you. I will ruin you with my own hands, and you will forever regret the day you crossed me and my family._

He looked down at his side of the field, assessing his situation: Spiritual Energy Settle Machine was still face-up, so he'd have to tribute a card to it at the end of this turn. After all, if he couldn't keep his spirit monsters on the field, his life points would remain entirely vulnerable and he'd lose for sure. Seto had just sent Yata-Garasu, Yamata Dragon, and Asura Priest to his graveyard, which meant that he needed to get some monsters on his side of the field immediately.

"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck and add them to my hand." He looked at the cards and began to grin, feeling like he'd gained some control over the situation. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light, immobilizing all monsters on your side of the field for the next three turns."

"Boo!" Joey jeered, upset on Seto's behalf.

"Do you think Noah might still win?" Anzu asked Yugi, turning to him yet again for his perspective on the duel.

"I have no idea," Yugi answered honestly. "Noah just bought himself some time, so now he has the chance to make a comeback, which would draw out the duel even longer. On the other hand, it's extremely difficult to find monsters with an attack higher than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so he'd need to have some good magic cards _and_ the right monster cards on hand in order for him to pull it off." He looked between the two of them and added, "Dueling is about a lot more than cards and strategy, though. Noah is dueling for fun of beating other people, and for the purpose of defending his title, while Seto is dueling so that we can leave this place freely. Seto understands how to respect his cards, but Noah sees them only as tools. Grandpa says that the way you treat your cards and the reasons that you duel matter more than anything else in the whole game. That's why I think Seto is going to win this."

"Now I activate Brain Control!" Noah declared.

"That's a desperate move at this point," Yugi commented to his friends. "He wouldn't do that unless he felt certain that he could pull off a victory this turn. Either that, or he knows he hasn't got a chance and is willing to try anything."

"Brain Control allows me take control of any monster on your side of the field, and I choose-"

"Not so fast!" Seto said, holding out one hand as he called, "Reveal face-down card! Mystical Space Typhoon! I can use this card to target and destroy any magic or trap card on your side of the field, and I choose Brain Control!"

Disgruntled, Noah moved the magic card to his graveyard then reached back into his rapidly depleting hand.

"I lay one card face-down and end my turn," he muttered, his creepy yellow eyes shooting daggers at Seto from across the room as he also tributed one card from his hand in order to maintain his Spiritual Energy Settle Machine.

"What, no monster summoning?" Seto scoffed. "I'd say you probably just wasted most of your turn, but that's your problem, not mine." There wasn't much he could do since he was unable to attack, so he lay two cards face down in anticipation of what other antics Noah might attempt while Seto's monsters were paralyzed. Noah still hadn't drawn a monster on his next turn, so he lay one card face-down, tributed one card from his hand to keep the Spirit Energy Settle Machine and ended his turn. Seto sacrificed his Lord of Dragons in order to summon Luster Dragon and used a magic card to restore 500 life-points, then ended his turn.

"Tick, tock, Noah," he mocked. "You're running out of time to take me out."

Noah just glared at Seto as he drew his next card in the almost quiet stadium. He smiled, tucking the card into his hand. _Oh, you're in for quite a surprise, Seto._

"I activate Cost Down, reducing the levels of all monsters in my hand by two," Noah said, revealing the card he'd laid down the previous turn. "And I activate Soul Exchange!" He put another card down from his depleted hand. "It allows me to tribute one of your monsters as if it were mine," Noah continued, "And I choose one of your Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

Seto's jaw clenched as Noah announced that he was taking one of Seto's dragons, but what happened next made him even angrier.

"You're just going to love _this_ Seto," he said with a wink. "I sacrifice _your_ Blue-Eyes in order to summon my own!" The crowd became very loud indeed now: three of the four Blue-Eyes White Dragons, after disappearing from all known records for several years, had reappeared all in a single duel? It was unheard of. The likelihood of the fourth Blue-Eyes appearing as well was about the same likelihood of someone being able to successfully summon Exodia the Forbidden One.

"Where'd you get this one? Take it from a little girl?" Seto teased facetiously. It had been meant as a joke, but when he looked at Noah's face, his expression was utterly priceless.

"What?! How did you-?" Noah stopped himself as he realized that Seto had been joking.

"How did I know about that? I didn't." Seto grinned widely, extremely pleased at having caught Noah in such an outrageous position. "That's what you _actually_ did, isn't it?" Seto began to laugh hard as Noah's fists balled at his sides. With as much dignity as he could muster, Noah attempted to continue the duel.

"Normally, I would have to wait until the next turn to attack, but with this Pyro Clock of Destiny," he revealed a face-down trap he'd laid the same turn he activated the Swords of Revealing Light. "I can advance the turn count by one, enabling me to attack on this turn. Blue-Eyes, attack his Luster Dragon with White Lightning attack!"

Seto braced himself for impact, but then nothing happened.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Noah demanded, hitting the Duel Arena with his fist, then looking up at his chuckling opponent. "You did this, didn't you?" he accused, pointing a finger at his employee.

" _I_ didn't do anything. _I_ didn't even create the Duel Arena, remember? You did that all by yourself." There was something snide and scornful in Seto's voice, and he had a hard time hiding his smile. "Maybe it just doesn't like you. Or maybe it doesn't acknowledge you as its master, since you did steal it, after all." Seto's hand reached for his deck, but Noah stopped him.

"Wait, my turn isn't over yet!"

"I'm waiting," Seto retorted, his hand hovering over his deck. Noah sighed heavily and discarded his Spirit Energy Settle Machine.

"I end my turn," he grumbled.

"Then that was your last one." Seto drew his card and added it to his hand as the Swords of Revealing Light faded from his side of the field. "Thank you for using that Pyro Clock of Destiny card, by the way, because now I can attack you without having to wait another turn. Blue-Eyes, white lightning attack!"

Seto's Blue-Eyes blasted Noah's Blue-Eyes, destroying both dragons in the process. Even though it had been necessary, Seto still felt a twinge of regret. He hated seeing his beloved dragon destroyed. Besides, it would have been fitting to win the duel with the very card that he'd won from Noah.

"Now, Luster Dragon, take out the rest of his life-points!" Seto ordered, watching as everything Noah had


	6. Lost In Darkness: Deleted Chapter 8

**Author Notes:** I tried writing an eighth chapter for "Lost In Darkness," but then it ended up like this: depressing and terrible and just plain awful. I didn't want to delete it, though, so here it is, for anyone who cares to read it. I'm still trying to figure out how I lost control of the story back in Chapter 5...

* * *

Seto tossed and turned in bed, unable to get comfortable. He sighed, frustrated, and glanced at the clock again. It was after two in the morning and he still couldn't sleep. He knew why, though. It wasn't because of paranoia, not this time. It wasn't because of schizophrenic delusions. He'd been taking his prescriptions faithfully, so he hadn't experienced any more of those. He had switched to a longer-lasting injection instead of pills, though. The less often he had to take medicine, the more he could pretend to be normal. But he wasn't normal, and he knew it, and so did everybody else in the mansion, and that was why he couldn't sleep.

Joey and Ryou knew that he wasn't normal. They were always so careful with him, so gentle and patient, and while Seto appreciated it, he resented it too. He _wanted_ to be normal again. He wanted to be able to _think_ again. He wanted to regain control over his own _body_. It had been a month since he'd confessed his love for them, but he still spent his nights alone in a big empty bed. It was hurting him, but he was too proud to say so. He wondered if it was a good thing that he still had his pride from before the accident, or if that was something he _should_ have lost. He wished he'd lost his pride instead of his capacity for critical thinking. If he could make that trade, he would. If he could trade the loss of his memories for the loss of his depression, he would make that trade.

Most of the time, he just felt useless, like he existed only to exist. He couldn't do any of the things he used to be good at, and without those skills, he wasn't sure what he _should_ be doing with himself. He did a lot of walking, and that was mostly it. He'd tried playing videogames with his brother, but had gotten frustrated as he realized that his coordination was also shot. Mokuba was still trying to find something that his brother _could_ do and enjoy, but nothing had worked yet, and Seto was starting to brood more, like his old sour self.

Seto rolled onto his stomach, still trying to sleep. He knew that he needed to sleep. He was trying to get himself back to sleeping at normal hours—not that he'd done that very often _before_ the accident, but it was imperative now for him to get on some kind of regular sleep schedule as opposed to the erratic hours he favored. He told himself that if he wasn't sleeping alone, he wouldn't have such a hard time sleeping, but he also had no grounds for such a claim, except that he sometimes slept better when he was with Mokuba.

In truth, he feared the day Joey and Ryou invited him to bed as much as he desired it. Most days, he didn't _have_ a libido at all, and while he could blame that on the fact that he was predominantly bored and unhappy most of the time, he feared that it was associated with his schizophrenia or the brain damage or his medication, or some combination of the three. He didn't used to be like this. He used to ache with need more often than not because he lacked any meaningful romantic relationship in his life. He'd had a way to deal with it, though, so that he didn't become too miserable.

"Screw this," he muttered, hauling himself out of bed. He wanted them, dammit, and he would have them. They wanted him to be happy, didn't they? He left his room at a brisk pace, full of certainty and confidence, but by the time he reached their room, he'd lost all of that. He felt unsure of himself and was too nervous to knock on their door, so he simply stood there and pressed his forehead against the painted wood, letting his palm press to the smooth surface as he listened to their silence. He wanted them to be happy, didn't he? And if they were content with this arrangement, then so was he. He sank to the floor and huddled against wall beside their door in a self-conscious puddle of misery and dissatisfaction.

* * *

The next morning, Ryou was the one who found Seto asleep outside their door. He sighed and crouched down beside him, gently shaking him awake. This was the fifth time this month that this had happened. Granted, it wasn't the only strange place they'd found Seto sleeping—like the couch in his library, the dining room table, the flowerbed in the garden behind the house—but he usually didn't repeat a single location more than a couple times.

"Seto, wake up," he called softly as the brunette started to slowly awaken. He lifted his head and rubbed at his eyes, still looking exhausted. "How much sleep did you get last night, Seto?" Ryou asked worriedly.

"A few hours here and there," he muttered, refusing to make eye contact.

"Seto, were you crying?" Ryou tilted Seto's face towards his own as he noticed clear indicators of copious tears.

"No." Seto denied the accusation as harshly as he could manage in his state of half wakefulness. Ryou pursed his lips. He had half a mind to rebuke Seto and demand the truth from him and half a mind to just embrace him and tell him that it was okay to cry. He was getting tired of Seto's behavior, though. Even after he'd confessed his love for Ryou and Joey, there was still so much he kept to himself. Ryou understood that this was part of his process of adapting to his new condition, but he didn't find it any less perplexing or discouraging.

Meanwhile, Seto had stood, fighting his cramped joints that now protested with every movement against the position he'd chosen to sleep in last night. Ryou stood up too, and Seto made to walk away, but Ryou grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You need to stop doing this, Seto." He spoke firmly and calmly, trying to impress upon Seto the weight of his words.

"I know." Why did those words sound so unbearably sad? Ryou reached out to him then with both arms, sensing that something was terribly wrong, something he didn't know about. Then again, that was _always_ the problem with Seto: something you had no idea was even a problem. Seto took a step away, and Ryou froze, then threw himself at the brunette before he could move away again.

"Talk to me, Seto," he begged desperately. "If I mean anything to you at all, then please, talk to me."

Seto winced, his face contorting with pain as he tried to make up his mind. That was a low blow; he'd never expected Ryou to say something so cruelly manipulative.

"I don't know how to."

"One word at a time. It's just that simple." Ryou was starting to feel hopeful because Seto hadn't tried to push him off or walk away. He also hadn't gotten angry, which was a good sign.

"I… I don't…" _I don't like sleeping alone._ Surely he could force those words out, couldn't he? Just five little words… Then he heard noise from inside the room, where Joey still was. That was enough to spook away Seto's courage. He tore himself from Ryou's embrace and strode away, throwing his last words over his shoulder: "I can't."

Ryou was discouraged and frustrated as he watched Seto leave before returning to his room.

"Seto was sleeping outside our room again," he announced with a sigh.

"Again? Did he say why?"

"He almost did, but he left instead." Ryou sat down on the edge of their unmade bed. "This is so hard…" he whispered, his voice breaking as he was overcome with emotion.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Joey said gently as he sat beside Ryou and put an arm around his shoulders. "Nobody said it was gonna be easy, after all. We knew it was gonna be hard. I mean, he's recovering from brain damage, for heavens' sake!" He was doing his best to stay positive on Ryou's behalf, hoping it would infect him. "There are a lot of people with brain damage who have it harder than Seto does. We should be grateful that he's not any worse than he is and focus on helping him recover before pushing him too hard for romance. That's what I did with you, and it worked out well for us."

"But… What if we're not being supportive enough _because_ we're trying not to push him?" Ryou asked, looking up at the blond with concern in his wide brown eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe he needs us to get closer to him. Maybe… Maybe he keeps ending up outside our door because he wants more of us," Ryou suggested. "The least we can do is ask him if that's the case."

"I don't know… He has a doctor's appointment next week; we could bring it up with the doctor then—when Seto's not in the room, of course."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised at you, Joey. I would have expected you to be more bold with him."

"Yeah, well, that was before I saw his brains get scrambled on the street," Joey snapped suddenly, and now it was Ryou's turn to put a comforting arm around Joey. The blond had been the only one to clearly see the accident, after all, and it seemed like those memories were starting to get to him.

"Maybe you should talk to a therapist," Ryou suggested softly, kissing Joey's cheek. "It's been almost two months, and if it's bothering you this much, you should talk to someone about it." He thought for a moment, then added, "Maybe Seto should be talking to a psychologist too. I'll ask the doctor next week. Don't let me forget."

"I won't." Joey smiled before kissing Ryou. "I'm glad you think of things like that, because I know I wouldn't."

* * *

Five days later, when Seto was filled with lust again, he did something different. It was almost midnight, but he got dressed and found his car keys, glad that those were right where they used to be. That fact alone reminded him that even though it felt like it sometimes, he wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

He found a place downtown that was loud, dark, wild. I place where he could be drunk and anonymous. A place where he started to feel human again.

He actually met a man taller than him for once. Two of them, actually. They were huge and probably employed in a some kind of physical profession, like basketball or wrestling. They fucked him together in a back alley until he couldn't walk straight. He screamed for them to stop, but they wouldn't.

He made it back to his car, regretting everything, before he passed out briefly. He came to a little before six a.m. and drove home. Nobody had yet noticed that he was missing, and he was able to sneak back in without running into anyone. Of course his security agents saw him leave and return, but that was part of their job, and they didn't know where he went anyways.

He staggered back to his room without running into anyone. He had just enough brain left to undress and dump his clothes on the floor before covering himself with his sheets and falling asleep.

* * *

"Have you seen Seto at all today?" Mokuba asked at dinner, looking worried.

"No, not at all," Joey answered,looking sheepish. "I've been at the game-shop all day."

"I haven't seen him either," Ryou offered. "The security agents on duty last night said that he went out, so I figured he was just sleeping."

"Where did he go? When did he leave?" Mokuba looked concerned.

"I don't know, but they said he was gone for about six hours. Left around midnight," Ryou answered hesitantly, starting to question Seto's actions himself.

"Where could he possibly be going in the middle of the night?"

Joey and Ryou looked at each other, not wanting to speak aloud what both of them were thinking.

"I dunno, but we'll find out. Don't worry about it," Joey replied.

Later, after dinner, they convinced Mokuba to go work on the paper he had due next week while they went to see if Seto was awake.

"Seto, how are you? You've been in bed all day." Ryou couldn't hep but feel a little concerned.

"'M fine," he grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

"Seto, you've never done this before, and we're worried about you," Joey said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling the sheet off of Seto.

"My god…" It was his first time seeing Seto's scars, but Ryou was shocked too—for an entirely new reason. Fresh scratches adorned his broad shoulders. Joey froze, but Ryou reached over and pulled the sheet down further.

"Seto, when did you get that tattoo?" Ryou demanded, severely startled.

"Leave me alone!" Seto growled, reaching for the sheets to cover himself again, but Joey held the sheets back so that he couldn't.

"Where did you go last night?" Ryou demanded, crossing his arms as his eyes watered with emotion.

"Nowhere!" He was starting to get angry as he sat up, and Joey put his hands on Seto's shoulders to try and calm him.

"Settle down, Seto—"

"I will _not_ settle down!" He tried to push Joey away, but Ryou sat behind him and hugged him tightly, allowing Joey to do the same so that they could hold him in place.

"What's happening to you, Seto?" Ryou murmured, starting to cry. "You used to talk to us…"

"What _happened_ is that it took me this long to get you both in bed with me," he grumbled, almost too softly for them to hear.

"Is that what this is about?" Joey asked after a few moments of stunned silence. Seto scowled, refusing to answer as Ryou started tracing over the red lines on his shoulder.

"Where did you go last night?" Ryou asked softly, saddened when he saw Seto wince at his touch.

"Who did this to you?" Joey murmured, kissing Seto's cheek.

"Doesn't matter."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Don't you trust us?"

"Of course I do!" Seto snapped again, his temper flaring. "I just didn't know how..." His voice trailed off in a sad whisper, and Ryou sobbed again.

"We didn't want to pressure you or rush you into anything," Joey explained before giving Seto a kiss. "We just didn't know if you were ready for it yet."


	7. Rock Bottom: Alternate Trust Exercise

**Author Notes:** An alternate version of chapters 27/28 for Rock Bottom. Originally, I was going to make it so that Seth DID sleep with Mai, and Seto allowed verbally, though he didn't really want it to happen, which led to confused feelings and bad communication.

Also, I wrote this version of their trust exercise about seven chapters before I reached that point in the story, so some other things got edited for the final version as well. And I wrote this during a three-day period when several of my characters were coming out uncharacteristically bratty, including Seth, which makes him act like an annoying little sister in this version. Enjoy!

* * *

"Well look who it is," Seto muttered sourly as Seth materialized out of the shadows. "Had fun?"

"Please don't talk to me like that, Seto," Seth said quite seriously in one of those rare moments that he expressed true displeasure with his hikari. "The least you can do is show a little respect."

"Respect has to be earned," the moody teen retorted.

"And have I not earned it?" Seth asked sharply. Seto was really trying his patience at the moment.

"Gee, I don't know, do you treat my body like it's mine or like it's yours?" Seto's insolent words were full of bitterness. "You should have _asked_ me if it was alright."

Seth's eyes flamed for a moment as he crossed his arms, coming to a halt as he stood in front of Seto. "If you really didn't want me to, you should have just said no."

"The way you were carrying on about it, you made it impossible to say anything but yes."

Seth breathed deeply for a few moments, letting his anger cool. He uncrossed his arms and came to sit beside Seto.

"You're right. I wasn't exactly fair about that, was I? I'm sorry, Seto. I should have let it go the first time you said no."

Seto felt his own anger begin to ebb. "I forgive you," he grumbled. "Just don't do that again, okay? I hate losing control like that, and I can't risk something bad coming out of that."

"I still think you should have accepted her offer. It would have been good for you."

Seto's cheeks began to feel like they were on fire. "I don't see how that could have been the case," he muttered, hoping Seth would drop the subject.

"You know as well as I do that you've hated touching people, Mokuba excluded of course, because of your… experiences."

Seto stiffened, hoping that this wasn't going where he thought it was going.

"In addition to that, you can't stand the thought of any kind of intimacy with another person."

"I don't have time for romance!" Seto said, a little louder than he'd meant to.

"Intimacy and romance are often paired together, true, but intimacy can be had without romance, and you know that."

"Please, just stop," Seto whispered, trying to tune out the spirit's words.

"I know you've never had intimacy outside your former occupation—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut _up_ ," Seto growled, but Seth continued.

"And I think you need to experience the truth that sex doesn't have to be unpleasant or cause you pain."

"We're not talking about this!" Seto was growing furious. Why couldn't Seth ever just shut up?

"Your body has needs—"

"No!" Seto shouted, turning on Seth with an icy glare. "I am _not_ going to have this conversation with you!"

"Who else, then?" Seth challenged. "Who else would you talk to about these things? Yugi? Joey? Ryou?"

"Hell, no!" Seto yelled, his face red with outrage and embarrassment. "I'm not going to talk to anybody about it! There's nothing wrong with me, I don't need to be fixed!"

"No, you don't need to be fixed," Seth answered quietly, his eyes looking suddenly sad. "But you do need to be freed, and you do need to think carefully through these things before you make any kind of life decision."

"Freed from what?" Seto growled, still prickly after Seth had pushed him so far out of his comfort zone.

"Freed from your anxiety. It's hurting you, and I don't want you to continue hurting. I want you to be able to walk down the street and feel safe as you go about your life."

"Huh," Seto grunted skeptically. "Like that'll ever happen."

"It could, if you let it," Seth said quietly, his voice almost hopeful.

"Why should I _feel_ safe when it's _not_ safe?" Seto protested.

"It is safe, you just don't believe it is." Seth sighed, deciding to give up on that notion for now. He could make more progress in a different way for now. "At least, it's safe for you to be around your friends. They don't mean you any harm, so you shouldn't be on your guard when you're around them."

"I have too many secrets; keeping my guard up is a necessity," Seto retorted.

"But surely you won't spill your secrets just because they give you a hug," Seth pointed out, making Seto frown.

"I don't have to hug people if I don't want to."

"No, you don't, but you should receive hugs graciously when they're offered. It's a matter of courtesy and of reinforcing the strength of your relationships," Seth explained.

"Just drop it." Seto was done talking about his issues, but Seth, apparently, wasn't. Seto started as he felt Seth place a hand on his shoulder, and he quickly brushed it away. "Don't touch me."

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Seth asked, feigning innocence.

"No, you're not, but that's not the point." Seto scowled at the Egyptian man and edged away from him.

"Then what's the point?" Seth asked as he reached out to touch Seto's hair. His reincarnation ducked his head to dodge the hand, leaning away from him as if to be touched by him would give him the plague, or leprosy. Seth's hand caught Seto's chin as he stood on his knees to lean closer to the lanky brunette. He blinked clear blue eyes at the younger one as he waited for an explanation.

"It… It burns," Seto whispered, his eyes watering.

"But it doesn't have to," Seth murmured gently, releasing Seto and sitting back on his heels as he watched him scramble further away before wrapping his arms around himself again and resuming his former brooding. He looked more like he was pouting now, though.

"Let me help you, Seto," he pleaded softly, moving closer to him and reaching towards him with one hand.

"Touch me again, Seth, and I swear I'll throw the Millennium Rod into the ocean!" The words came out loud and harsh, and Seth dropped his hand to the floor in obedience, going still as Seto shuddered and drew the back of his hand across his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Seto," he whispered, shifting to sit close to Seto without touching him. This was more serious than he'd realized. "Are you really this afraid of being touched?"

Seto just nodded while looking in the other direction.

This was worse than he'd thought.

"I'm just trying to help you, Seto. People are starting to notice that something is wrong."

"They are?"

"Ryou most certainly is. He watches you like a hawk. And if Ryou has concerns about you, then he's definitely voiced them to Marik, and who knows who they've talked to about it. Plus, you did drop Joey's name that time you were assaulted, so they've probably talked to him about it by now."

Seto shuddered, drawing closer into himself.

"Seto, darling, you need to learn to be okay with human touch again."

"Don't call me darling ever again. That was just creepy," Seto grumbled.

"How about a deal, then, darling: I'll only not call you darling if you agree to let me help you now."

Seth continued calling Seto darling until he finally gave in and allowed Seth some "brief" time to do whatever he called "helping."

The former pharaoh started by simply touching his hand to Seto's, letting their fingertips touch, then their palms.

"What are you afraid of, Seto?" he asked quietly.

"Human touch. I thought we already established that," he muttered half-heartedly.

"But what are you afraid will happen when someone touches you?" he asked quietly, his hand shifting from Seto's hand to slowly slide along his forearm. "Are you afraid that you'll be hurt? That someone will try to molest you?"

"Yes," Seto answered hoarsely.

"Which one?"

"Both, but especially the latter, like you're doing right now," he grumbled, turning his face away as Seth's hand reached his shoulder.

"That's hardly what I plan on doing," Seth said with a frown, pulling his hand away. "How many times must I beg you to trust me before you finally do?"

"Trust needs to be earned," Seto quipped.

"Have I not earned it yet? Or you're just not willing to give it?"

"I… have a hard time trusting people besides myself," he admitted quietly.

"Given your life so far, I can understand why that would be difficult, but wouldn't you like to be able to relax and share your burdens with someone else, trusting that they will do their best to help you?"

"That does sound nice," Seto murmured, his eyes distant.

"I know it's not easy, but can you at least try to trust me?" Seth pleaded.

"I can try…"

Seth kissed the top of Seto's head quickly, before he could pull away. "Then let's try this out now," he said, standing up, holding out a hand to help his hikari stand as well. After a moment, Seto took it and stood beside the older man.

"Do you see where we are, Seto?" he asked.

"My soul room."

"Look at the floor, look at the ceiling, the walls. What do you see?"

"We're… inside a giant cage," Seto answered, realizing this fact for the first time. Seth pointed toward a large opening.

"There is no door to cover the entrance, so why don't you try to escape?"

Seto looked up at Seth curiously, then toward the large hole in the silver gilded bars of the cage. He approached it and looked out.

"We're hanging over a bottomless pit," he scoffed. "How on earth am I supposed to escape?" He turned around to face Seth, but he had disappeared.

"Maybe you can try trusting me."

Seto turned around and saw that Seth was standing on a ledge faraway.

"How the hell did you get over there?" Seto demanded, getting irritated.

"Unimportant," Seth said dismissively. "I want you to come over here and join me."

"How?" Seto asked, exasperated. "There's nothing but empty space between here and there."

"You can get here safely if you trust me," Seth answered calmly, despite Seto's growing agitation. "Keep your eyes on me, no matter what, and walk this way."

"Do you really think I would fall for something like this?" Seto asked, his temper riled. "There's nothing to walk on. I'll fall."

"Seto, the moment you believe that, you make it true." Seth's low, steady voice made Seto shiver as it cooled his temper. Seto looked down into the abyss, but Seth said, "Eyes up, Seto. Focus on me." Seto looked up, feeling anxious as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Good. Now all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other."

"Right, and when I do, there's no way I'm gonna fall," Seto said sarcastically, still standing on the edge of the cage. "You're insane."

"We're in your soul room, Seto. You can't be harmed here unless you wish it."

"I don't wish it," Seto snapped.

"Then you have nothing to be afraid of," Seth answered with a patronizing smile.

"I don't trust things I can't see." Seto crossed his arms, the perfect image of a stubborn child.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a cage?" Seth asked coolly, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course not!" Seto's pride was wounded by the implications of such a thing.

"Then why don't you leave it?"

Seto looked disgruntled for a few moments as he tried to make up his mind.

"You promise that I won't fall?" he asked hesitantly. He couldn't believe that he was actually considering this.

"I promise that as long as you keep your eyes on me and trust that you'll be safe, you will be."

Seto took a few deep breaths, then grabbed hold of the nearest bar of the walls of the prison-like cage. He looked up at Seth, staring straight ahead as he inhaled and tentatively put his foot forward. He felt something solid beneath it, and gasped in surprise.

"Good!" Seth called encouragingly. "Keep your eyes on me, Seto, and put one foot in front of the other." Seto hesitated, and he added, "Just let go, Seto. I promise you'll be alright."

This was difficult for the teen who'd learned to be suspicious of people, who'd learned that people couldn't be trusted. Up until now, every time he'd placed significant trust in another person, he had been forced to do so. Dr. Bakura had discovered a part of the truth through his own pursuits, and Seto'd had no choice but to trust that he would keep the information confined to only himself and his wife. He'd had no choice but to trust that Joey would keep his secret to himself. The older he got, the less he depended on others for anything, making himself as independent as possible so that he'd never HAVE to trust anyone too deeply.

"You PROMISE that nothing bad will happen?" Seto asked, still needing confirmation.

"I promise, Seto." Seth placed his right hand over his heart as he spoke.

Seto let go and took another hesitant step forward, resisting the urge to look down and try to discern what he was walking on.

"I love you as my son, Seto. I only want what's best for you."

Another step forward.

"Ryou loves you—"

"Ryou loves Marik," Seto corrected, starting to waver. This was foolish. He was going to fall to his death.

"Platonically, I mean," Seth qualified, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Ryou loves you. Consider the fact that you entrust him with Mokuba's wellbeing when you don't even trust your own father."

Another tentative step forward, and Seto was having a hard time keeping his gaze fixed on Seth's cerulean eyes. He wanted to look down, to be sure of his step, to make sure that he didn't fall. He burst out suddenly, "Seth, I can't do this." He was just as crazy as Seth for thinking that this was going to work. Whatever was under his feet felt unsteady and shifting, only confirming his fears.

"Yes, you _can_ do it, Seto," Seth insisted, hiding his sense of alarm as he saw that Seto started to doubt him. "Keep your eyes on me, and you'll be fine."

"How can you promise that?" Seto demanded, feeling his insides shake. He wasn't ready to die.

"You're just gonna have to trust me." It was the best answer Seth could give. For now, though, it seemed like enough, for Seto still stood there, staring at him with an odd mixture of anxiety and stubbornness. Clearly, he was going to stand his ground until he was given sufficient reason to move again.

"Continue walking, Seto," Seth said patiently, holding the identical azure gaze steadily with his own, knowing that if he looked away, so would Seto, whose feet now shifted nervously. "You believe in Ryou's goodness, which is in itself invisible and intangible."

"But I can see the empirical evidence of it," Seto countered confidently, taking a step forward a few moments after he spoke.

"Exactly. Dr. Bakura has raised his son to be a good man, which is evidence that he himself is worthy of your trust."

Another shaky step.

"Marik loves you. His family has, for the last three thousand years, served myself and Atem by guarding our tombs and protecting some of the Millennium Items. We-you and I-are one of two pharaohs that he serves wholeheartedly. He has knowledge of the ancient scriptures and understands that we are here because we have a great burden to carry, a war to fight in the name of all that is good in order to save the world. That is why you can trust him."

"What are you talking about?" Seto asked, perplexed as he stood still.

"I'm talking about why I'm here, why you received the Millennium Rod, why my soul resides partially within you. You've asked me about it before, and I'm only just telling you now because we may have to face that evil again very soon. Keep walking, Seto."

Hesitantly, the brunette obeyed, though he didn't feel like he was getting much closer to his destination.

"You need to _believe_ what I'm telling you, Seto," Seth said, a pleading note in his rich voice.

"Why can I trust you?" Seto challenged, doubt nagging at him once more. "Since you seem so keen on that subject right now, explain it to me: why can I trust you?"

"I already told you," he answered with a sigh. "You are a piece of my own soul. I could no more wish to harm you than I could wish to cut off my own hand or poke out my own eyes."

"Fair enough, if what you say is true," Seto conceded reluctantly, taking another step forward. He blinked hard as he tried to keep his eyes up.

"Yugi loves you. You've protected him, and he looks up to you."

"Well, he's a pacifist," Seto scoffed, clearly disagreeing with his peer's philosophy. "They're made of glass. There's not a mean bone in his body."

"That's right," Seth answered with a smile. It seemed like Seto was finally starting to catch on. "He's naive, innocent, and good. He could never be malicious, even if he tried. That's why you can trust him."

Seto took another step forward, starting to feel more steady.

"Joey loves you. You never realized it on your own, but the sight of your pain was the impetus that drove him to change his ways. Since he's changed, his life has been far happier than it ever used to be. He has real friends now, something he hasn't had in a long time. YOU made him good, made him happy, and he knows it. Now he feels a loyalty and respect for you that he never felt towards anyone before. That is why you can trust him."

Seto took a step forward, then another. Finally, he felt like he was getting somewhere. Seth was growing excited as he saw that Seto was starting to truly believe him.

"Ryou's parents love you as if you were their own son. They took care of you when you were hurt and unable to stand. They have kept your secret, even from the authorities, despite the fact that they think it would benefit you and your brother. That is why you can trust them."

Seto was getting closer, walking at an almost steady pace across the chasm, floating on air, kept aloft only by his faith in Seth and what Seth said.

"Anzu loves you. She loves Yugi, and because you've protected him, she loves you by extension. She sees that you have a good heart, albeit a fierce one, and that you stand up for those who are unable to defend themselves. She sees that you're dependable, that you follow through on your word, and she respects that. She also sees that you take treachery very personally. She knows that if she were to wrong you, she'd lose you as a protector, should she ever be in need of one. That is why you can trust her."

Seto was getting close, very close to the ledge where Seth stood.

"Duke loves you. You've impressed him with your intellect and character, and he sees you as a good friend. He would never wish to alienate you or lose your respect. That is why you can trust him."

"I think you've forgotten someone rather obvious," Seto pointed out with a small smile.

"I could never forget him," Seth assured as he returned the smile. "Mokuba loves you, more than he loves anyone else in the world, even Amane. You've always been there, a constant, positive presence in his life. He's always looked to you for guidance, for sustenance, for protection. You're not just his brother, you're his father, his mother, his best friend, his role model, all wrapped into one."

"His mother?" Seto asked, raising one dubious eyebrow at the Egyptian.

"You know what I mean," Seth insisted with a sigh. "You've functioned as one since your true mother is gone. He loves you unconditionally and absolutely _adores_ you. He hates the idea of seeing you hurt or upset or unhappy. That is why you can trust him."

Seto let out a sigh of relief as he stepped onto the ledge in front of Seth, suddenly being pulled into a close embrace as the sound of something loud and heavy breaking filled his ears. He was able to turn his head just enough to see that there had been chains holding the large cage suspended in the air. They looked old, rusty, and unstable, which was probably why one had snapped. That added strain to the others, and they proceeded to break. Seth brought a hand up to shield Seto's eyes from any debris that might fall their way. The cage fell and not too long after crashed onto the dark bottom of the room with a loud, startling clatter. The whole thing unnerved Seto, who shook just a little as Seth's strong arms continued to hold him close.

"What just happened? I'm confused." Seto's expression showed it too.

"Some people are content to let fear imprison them their whole lives," Seth answered obscurely. "Most people don't realize how the fear itself poses a greater threat to them than the things they fear. You're destined for greatness, which means that you need to learn to leave the fear behind."

"So you're saying that I'm cured? Just like that?" Seto asked doubtfully. He decided that he wasn't willing to enter the whole, "I don't believe in destiny," argument again. That wasn't important right now.

"Well, it wasn't easy, was it?" Seth pointed out. "You wouldn't have been able to do it if I weren't here to help you."

"Fair enough," Seto admitted grudgingly, making Seth smile at him again.

"You needed someone to show you that people are worthy of trust, and why. You wouldn't have allowed yourself to believe as much unless you felt how greatly you _needed_ to have faith."

"So you're saying that all of this was just some elaborate, metaphorical trust exercise?" Seto asked, realization striking him like a blow. "Couldn't we have just done a trust-fall or something?"

"No, I'm afraid it wouldn't have had quite the same effect," Seth answered with a laugh. He kissed Seto's forehead and loosened his embrace so that he could push Seto's long bangs aside. "You feel a lot better now, though, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Seto answered quietly, not quite able to meet Seth's piercing gaze.

"Good. Don't forget this feeling. Whenever you start to doubt those close to you, remember what I told you about why they could be trusted."

"I will," Seto promised quietly. He was a little distracted by the strange sense of freedom he now felt. He could breathe a little easier without all that anxiety burdening him.

"It's wise to be wary of strangers, but you need to show that you trust the people who care about you. You don't have to live in fear."

"But not all fear is bad, right?" Seto asked, sounding for a moment much younger than he was, as if he were a child questioning his father.

"Right. Sometimes it's the very thing that keeps us safe and out of harm's way. That's the difference between rational and irrational fears. It's rational to be afraid of crocodiles or bears or lions, because they're powerful predators capable of killing you. Healthy fear will help you avoid a threat. Unhealthy fear interferes with your ability to lead a normal life, and I think you'd agree with me if I said that what you felt fell into the latter category."

"Yeah, I guess it did," Seto muttered.

"I'm glad that you see that now." Seth gave him one last squeeze before releasing him. "Go forth and live freely."

"Why do you have to talk like a Shakespearean fortune cookie?" Seto grumbled, making Seth laugh heartily, tousling Seto's hair with one hand. "It doesn't burn _now_ , does it?" he asked softly.

"N-No, it doesn't," he murmured, closing his eyes as a sense of relief flooded his senses.

Seto's soul room started to fade around them, and Seto found himself waking up near Mokuba and the others.


	8. Rock Bottom: Duke Devlin One-Night Stand

**Author Notes:** A deleted scene from _Rock Bottom_. This would have happened at some point during Season One. Contains lemon. In order to understand the context for this, you may wish to (re)read Chapter 24: Date.

* * *

"Duke? It's Seto."

"It's nice to hear from you again. How are you?"

"I'm doing fairly well. How are you?"

"No complaints here. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I… changed my mind."

"I see."

"Are you free Friday night?"

"Of course. I look forward to it. I'll see you then."

"See you then."

* * *

"Let me guess: damaged goods?" Duke asked, cocking an eyebrow at Seto as he stepped close to press the front of his body to the other's.

After the faintest hesitation, Seto nodded. He had no idea just how damaged. Duke smiled a little at him as he lifted a hand to Seto's cheek.

"Figures. I could read your _Fragile: Handle With Care_ label from a mile away." His hand moved from Seto's cheek to the back of his head, gripping it firmly while being careful not to tug on his hair. He looked like there was still something he wanted to say, but Seto decided that he was done waiting. He kissed Duke hard, the other teen reacting immediately as Seto's hands found Duke's hips and pulled them hard against his own.

A groan shivered through the air, but it was nearly impossible to tell whose it was, or if it didn't belong to the both of them. As they began to struggle in their own subtle and overt ways for dominance of the situation, Duke experienced an aggression in Seto that he'd never witnessed before. He wasn't scared, but he took note of it.

Meanwhile, Seto was starting to realize just how right Seth had been. He'd needed this. His body had needed this. It might have been a while since he'd done this, and he might have tried his best to forget absolutely everything, but now everything he'd known about sex was flooding back to him. Suddenly, all signs of hesitation were gone. _He_ was in charge, and for once, he was going to get what _he_ wanted. He served no man but himself.

It was easy for Duke to see that Seto was ravenous, but he couldn't yet understand why. Seto's hands found their way to Duke's ass, and he interlocked his fingers, cradling Duke's ass as he caressed it. As he lifted Duke, the technician's long legs wrapped around his waist, and Seto made his way to Duke's bed as he nipped at the pale neck before him.

Duke wouldn't have guessed Seto would be so domineering, but despite his surprise, he welcomed it. That's what they were here for, wasn't it?

Clothes were tossed carelessly onto the floor as they both moaned without hesitation or concern for who might hear them. Duke's fingers stroked along Seto's back, and his stomach twisted as he realized that he couldn't find a single square inch that didn't contain scar tissue. Seto's breath caught in his throat and Duke moved his hands to Seto's shoulders, not wanting to upset him.

By the time he had to tell Seto where the lube was, Duke's body was trembling with pleasure in a way that it had never been before. Seto prepared him perfectly, drawing out the sensations for as long as possible, pushing Duke to his limits. When at last Seto entered Duke with a firm buck of his hips, the dark-haired gamer was already seeing stars.

The scarred brunette was kneeling on the mattress, holding Duke by the hips as his legs clung to Seto's torso. _Slow and steady,_ he told himself. _You're out of practice._ He started out with an easy, sustainable pace, one that was just slow enough to drive Duke nuts with need—and do exactly the same thing to Seto.

By the time Seto untangled their bodies and collapsed on his stomach beside Duke on the bed, his body was humming with pleasure in a way he hadn't known was possible. They took the time to catch their breath before doing anything else. Duke was the first to stir, and once he stirred, he pounced like a predator.

"Hey!" Seto cried as he felt Duke's weight land on top of him. "Careful."

"Careful is my middle name, Sweetheart," he assured with a wink. Now that his weight pinned Seto in place, preventing him from moving, Duke reached behind himself to grab the clear bottle of lubricant. He crawled backwards off of Seto's ass and knelt between his legs.

"Duke." It wasn't a question or a cry, but a statement. The message was in his tone, and Duke could read it well enough. It was a warning, a quiet petition: _Please don't hurt me. I've been hurt before._

"Sh, dear," he purred, reaching up to stroke his hands along Seto's sides comfortingly. "Just relax and trust me." He kissed the spot at the base of Seto's spine before spreading his thighs a bit further apart and coating his own fingers with the clear gel. He swallowed down an "oh god" when he saw what he was working with. As tenderly as possible, Duke cautiously wriggled one fingertip inside, and immediately felt Seto tense.

"Relax," Duke breathed across the backs of Seto's thighs, peppering the skin with little kisses. "Trust me." When he felt Seto's muscles unclench, he continued the process of loosening him, taking extra special care as more scar tissue was exposed to him in the process. _It's like he was raped over and over again,_ Duke thought, trying to treat Seto's body with the care and respect it deserved without making him feel like he was being pitied. He knew Seto well enough to know that he disdained receiving pity.

Another finger was added to the first, and Seto grunted appreciatively. This was a pattern familiar to Duke, so he understood it well and could do it easily—he just had to be especially careful this time around. Three fingers, and Duke finally noticed that Seto had been biting down on his fist this whole time.

"You can always tell me to stop if you need me to," he whispered, pressing kisses along Seto's spine this time as the brunette just grunted in vague understanding. Duke proceeded to splay and stretch his fingers, finally eliciting true moans of pleasure from his partner.

"Don't stop." The heady, hoarse voice that spoke with such need was immensely gratifying. And there it was, that little plea that begged for fulfillment at the gates of nirvana.

Duke didn't stop, but soon removed his fingers so that he could coat his member thoroughly. He drove into Seto with one smooth stroke, making the brunette arch beneath him and shout. His shout faded into a low groan, and for a moment, Duke lay his body flush against Seto's, stomach to spine, arms pressed along his arms.

"If it hurts, just tell me to stop, and I will, okay?" he whispered, receiving a faint nod in answer. Good. Duke was a lot of things, but insensitive wasn't one of them. The scars on Seto's body screamed of abuse, and it mattered to Duke that Seto knew he was safe here.

* * *

Duke awoke before Seto the next morning, and when the brunette finally opened his eyes, Duke was blow-drying his hair. When he emerged from the bathroom, they exchanged pleasantries, and Seto was informed that he could shower while Duke made breakfast for them both. The had an interesting conversation while they ate.

"Why do you do it?"

Duke looked at his companion with one eyebrow raised. "Are you referring to the one-night stands?" he asked perceptively, and Seto nodded. "Because I'm not a commitment kind of person, not when it comes to relationships, that is. And the way I see it, there are too many people out there who don't feel loved. If I can make someone feel loved for just one night, sometimes it's enough to make them believe that they deserve it. And I think that even if they don't find love after that, it's better for them to have been loved for one night than not at all."

Seto considered these words thoughtfully. Much to his own surprise, he actually understood what Duke meant. People who didn't know him may call him a player or a horndog, but that's not what he was at all. He was better than that.

"You have a generous heart, Duke Devlin," Seto praised in soft amazement. "One far more generous than mine."


	9. Rock Bottom: S4 Deleted Scene

**Author Notes:** A deleted scene from Season Four. (And by deleted, I mean, I wrote some sections ahead of time, and then my plans for S4 changed, so this will no longer be included.)

* * *

Seth stretched his arms, savoring the sensation.

"It feels so nice to have my old body back!" He said in apparent ecstasy as he happily looked down at his body. Joey was watching Seth with curiosity, noting that his hair was redder than Seto's, his skin tanner, his eyes lined with kohl. Where Seto was nutmeg, Seth was cinnamon. Where Seto was peach, Seth was bronze. Where Seto was sapphire, Seth was lapis lazuli. Where Seto was tall, Seth was taller. Where Seto was lean, Seth was muscular.

Seto was inspecting Seth with as much scrutiny as Joey, as if he didn't know what to make of his other self. He simply watched him in silence, arms crossed as he if he was trying to make up his mind about something.

"Come now, Seto, I expected more enthusiasm from you!" Seth said as he dropped his arms and trapped his reincarnation in a close embrace before he could pull away.

Seto looked embarrassed and uncrossed his arms so that he could return the gesture, feeling self-conscious as Joey watched them with an amused grin.

"Did you really think I would respond with enthusiasm, or did you just hope it?" Seto asked incredulously as Seth released him.

"I hoped, but I knew better than to truly expect it of you," Seth said with an unconcerned ease. Joey was surprised at how different their demeanors were. Where Seto was closed, Seth was open. Where Seto was reserved, Seth was expressive. Where Seto scowled, Seth grinned.

"I can't believe you two are the same soul," Joey said in amazement, making Seth chuckle.

"I'm older and more mature now, but I was just like him when I was younger," Seth said affectionately, reaching out to pat Seto on the head, but Seto gently rebuffed the hand.

"I'm not a child, Seth," Seto reminded him, not wanting to indulge in all of this physical affection when he felt so on edge from their sudden relocation.

"Perhaps not, but you're _my_ child, Musuko," he replied, still unbothered by Seto's hesitance and self-containment as he pat Seto's shoulder for a moment before dropping his hand to his side.


	10. Rock Bottom: Extended Helicopter Scene

**Version 1:**

"It's a pretty steady flight from here on out," Seto commented to his copilot. "Want to play a word game?"

"Sure. Since we're flying, how about we do something travel related?"

"Like what?"

"Rhyming journeys. From Kent to Trent."

"From Bollywood to Hollywood."

"From Dubai to Molokai."

"From Russia to Prussia."

"From Vienna to Sienna."

"From Aruba to Cuba," Mai interjected with a smirk. "I actually did that once. Lovely islands."

"When were you in the Caribbean?" Anzu asked in awe.

"From Edinburgh to St. Petersburg."

"For my twenty-first birthday."

"From Thailand to Disney Land?" Adina suggested hesitantly. Duke and Seto glanced at each other briefly.

"Sure, why not!" Duke said cheerfully. He'd humor the little girl. She was young, and so long as she had fun, that's all that mattered.

"From Rotterdam to Amsterdam?"

"From Buckingham to Wokingham," Ryou interjected.

"Wokingham?"

"It's in England," the Brit explained. "I have family there."

"From Dalmatia to Croatia."

"Isn't Dalmatia _in_ Croatia?"

"Even if it is, you can still go from Dalmatia to another part of Croatia though. How do you know that, anyways?"

"I have distant relatives in Croatia." Duke smirked.

"You're part Croatian?"

"No, just Croatian family; they're second cousins twice removed or something like that."

"From Lisbon to Brisbane." Ryou's British accent made the rhyme work.

"From Romania to Albania!"

"Very good, Mokuba," Seto praised. "How did you know those ones?"

"I remembered them from geography last year."

"See? I told you that studying pays off."

"From Pennsylvania to Transylvania."

"From Siberia to Iberia."

"Iberia?"

"Spain and Portugal are on the Iberian Peninsula; cumulatively, they could be called Iberia."

"You also could have said Liberia."

"Oh, I should have thought of that."

"From Tasmania to Lithuania."

"From Moscow to Cairo?"

"Good one, Marik!" Ryou beamed at the Egyptian with pride.

"From Glasgow to Gitmo," Joey suggested.

"Gitmo isn't its real name, though," Seto protested. "It's just an abbreviation for Guantanamo Bay."

"Then it's Guantanamo to Geronimo."

"That's not even a place!"

"Wait, let me check my phone." Yugi pulled out his phone and turned airplane mode off, but stopped what he was doing when Seto reminded him why it was on in the first place.

"Your phone could interfere with our radio equipment," the brunette said sharply. "You'll have to check it when we get back."

"Oh, sorry." Yugi quickly turned airplane mode back on and put his phone away again.

"Can we play another game?" Joey asked. "We're running out of rhymes."

" _I'm_ not." Duke smirked. "From Portugal to Montreal. From Alaska to Nebraska. From—"

"Come on, let's play another one, something more engaging." Seto thought for a few minutes. "I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi."

"I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi, and a speedo from Toledo."

"A speedo? Really?"

"I did have something that rhymed with Hong Kong," Duke answered mischievously. "But I figured I oughtn't to say it in front of the children."

"Thank you for that. Okay, who's next?"

"I'll go," Mai said; she'd traveled all over the world, which gave her a leg up with these geography games. "I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi, a speedo from Toledo, and a beret from San Jose. Who wants to go next?"

"I'll go." Ryou was enjoying this far more than he thought he would.

* * *

 **Version 2:**

"It's a pretty steady flight from here on out. That is, relatively steady," Seto commented to his copilot. His flying wasn't entirely smooth, but that was to be expected. He could fly straight and go where he aimed, and manage to not crash, and that's what mattered most. "Want to play a word game?"

"Sure. Since we're flying, how about we do something travel related?"

"Like what?"

"Like, we say, 'I went through customs and all I had to declare was' and then we name something and where it's from, but they have to rhyme. Then the next person says what the others said before, and add their own at the end. Does that sound good to everyone?"

"Sure!"

"Yeah!"

"Sounds like fun!"

"Okay, then, I'll start." Seto thought for a moment, then began, "I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi."

Duke went next, looking a bit too pleased with himself. "I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi, and a speedo from Toledo."

"A speedo? Really?"

"I did have something that rhymed with Hong Kong," he answered mischievously. "But I figured I oughtn't to say it in front of the children."

"Thank you for that. Okay, who's next?"

"I'll go," Mai said; she'd traveled all over the world, which gave her a leg up with these geography games. "I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi, a speedo from Toledo, and a beret from San Jose. Who wants to go next?"

"I'll go." Ryou was enjoying this far more than he thought he would.


	11. Power Of Three: Alternate Scene Ch 9

"Mokuba…" Ryou began, unsure of how to continue.

"What?" The child paused the game to look at the teen with curiosity. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah." He looked at Mokuba in return, unsure of how to put into words what he wanted to say. "I think your mansion is being haunted."

"You're kidding, right?" Mokuba asked hopefully. He'd had his fill of evil spirits during Battle City.

"I wish I was," Ryou answered sadly.

"How can you tell?" the child asked starting to look worried.

"I don't know if I've always been able to see ghosts or if I can only see them because of the Millennium Ring, but I've been able to sense their presence for as long as I can remember. Usually, they're pretty apathetic and harmless. But this one… this one's evil, and powerful." He shuddered, and Mokuba started looking scared.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"I bet I could guess." There was a look of bitter anger in Mokuba's eyes as he looked up at Ryou and said, "It's Gozaburo, isn't it?"

"That would make sense," Ryou answered slowly. The ghost's presence was oppressively close now, and Ryou felt cold as he started to have trouble breathing. "He's dangerous. I can feel it. He's here to do harm and cause pain—" All of the ghost's emotions and intentions flooded his senses as its aura grew especially strong. Ryou was overwhelmed


	12. Rock Bottom: Chapter 44 Deleted Pieces

_Oh baby when you talk like that,_  
 _You make a woman go mad._  
 _So be wise and keep on_  
 _Reading the signs of my body._

Anzu couldn't help but sing along as she danced energetically to Shakira, following along with the work-out video.

 _And I'm on tonight,  
You know my hips don't lie,_  
 _I'm starting to feel it's right.  
All the attraction,  
The tension,  
Don't you see, baby,  
This is perfection._

She was still dancing when she heard a snickering behind her, making her turn around. At the doorway was her little brother holding up a digital camera as he video-taped her, the red light blinking. Her fierce glare made him squeak and start to run away, but she chased him and tackled him to the floor.

"Get off of me!" he shouted as she tried to pry the camera from his hands.

"Give it to me, and I will!" When Anzu finally got the camera out of his tightly clenched fingers, she dashed back to her own room and slammed the door, locking it firmly so that he couldn't reenter. She

* * *

 _Can you believe bad things_  
 _Only happen to me?_  
 _God knows one day_  
 _You will finally see_  
 _That scars will heal_  
 _But were meant to bleed_  
 _Do you realize_  
 _I would lie for you?_  
 _Please have my last breath_  
 _I would die for you_  
 _I know I'm no good_  
 _But my heart beats true_  
 _You know I'm gonna fight_  
 _Though I might be scared to lose_

Seto idly watched his brother

* * *

 _Nobody really knows how or why_  
 _He works so hard_  
 _It seems like he's never got time_  
 _Because he_  
 _Writes every note_  
 _He writes every line_  
 _And I've seen him at work_  
 _The light that goes on in his mind_  
 _It's like a design_  
 _Is written in his head every time_  
 _Before he even touches a key_  
 _Or speaks in a rhyme_

"Are you meeting friends at the movies?" Joey asked absent-mindedly as he stopped at a red light. He looked over at his little sister in the passenger seat, then back at the road, nodding his head to the rap music. In his mind, he associated the song with Seto: how hard he worked in order to break free from his current place in life. Joey believed in him. He'd break out any day now. He was too smart to live a life of obscurity.

"No, I just thought you and I would go see one together," Serenity answered, looking up at her brother with a hopeful smile.

"Cool. What movie did you want to see?" Joey asked, smiling back at her encouragingly. Watching Seto and Mokuba together had made him feel a bit guilty for not being closer to his little sister. He wanted to be a brother she could look up to and depend on, and he was starting to realize that he hadn't been that for her. Their parents were always busy and hardly paid much attention to their children, unless it was to reprimand their son for being out all night or to remind their daughter to study, because she couldn't have friends over if she didn't ace her exams.


	13. Puzzleshipping One-Shot (Unfinished)

**Author Notes** : Not your average Puzzleshipping. Sequel to Kleptoshipping one-shot.

A Puzzleshipping one-shot that I kind of gave up on. It was a request for thor94 I believe. Sorry.

* * *

"I don't want you to see him again."

"Who? Bakura?" Yugi asked, blinking up at the nameless spirit in confusion. "But—"

"Don't say his name here," the pharaoh growled at his hikari. "He wishes to undo us."

"What do you mean by that? How do you know?" Yugi was puzzled by the spirit's demand. It made no sense, and that made him reluctant to comply.

"I just do," the taller one snapped, his crimson eyes flashing at Yugi dangerously. "Besides, you don't need him."

"I may not _need_ him, but I want—"

"I can give you everything you want." Suddenly, the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle was right there in front of him, grabbing him, embracing him with a rough, possessive kiss that stunned the teen.

"You're too good for him. You should never have let him touch you," the pharaoh half-snarled, half groaned as he moved to Yugi's neck, biting hard enough to make his friend cry out. His arm around Yugi's back and his hand on Yugi's ass held the younger one against him firmly and forcefully, sending a jolt of fear through the sub's system. Of course he was enjoying this, but he hadn't asked for it. With Bakura, it had been different. He'd known that it was going to happen.

"I don't even want to hear you think his name." The pharaoh lifted his head, those ruby eyes fixing him with a lusty glare. "You are mine, not his." His hands went to Yugi's shoulders as he shoved his host backwards until he hit a wall, then he reached behind himself and pulled out a long, curved knife from behind his back, making Yugi's breath catch.

"You like knives, don't you?"

"Yes," was his breathy answer. Yugi nodded eagerly. He felt himself harden while Yami licked the knife with a long, slow stroke of his tongue. He then proceeded to shred his own clothes, cutting them from his borrowed body with hunger in those impossible eyes. Rags and tatters scattered the floor, all that remained of his garments. Yugi licked his lips as he panted, hoping that it was his turn next.

Yami first pushed Yugi's hands up above his head, like he knew the boy liked, and secured them there with bindings he conjured with a thought. As he started using the knife to carelessly cut away Yugi's clothes, letting the knife knick him and draw little red lines across his body, he pressed his free hand to the bulge in Yugi's pants, rubbing and stroking so that his partner was writhing and gasping with need, his face and neck flushed with desire.


	14. LMSY: Deleted Kaiba Interview

**Author Notes** : Deleted blogger interview from chapter 6 of _Let Me Soothe You_.

* * *

"Tell me something that none of your fans know about you."

Kaiba smirked and laced his fingers together behind his head, leaning back in the chair. "I am ripped. Beneath this nerdy exterior is the body of a Greek god."

The blogger blushed and tittered, feeding Kaiba's ego.

"If you only had one month to live, what would you do?"

"That depends." Kaiba shrugged. "How am I going to die?"

"Excuse me?"

"If I'm dying a slow, painful death from cancer, my answer will be different than if, hypothetically, a credible psychic told me I was going to be hit by a car or stabbed by an assassin."

"That's a good question." She tapped her pen against her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"I've already drawn up my will. I did several years ago, and I updated it this past fall, so everything's settled there."

"What kind of provisions have you made in your will?"

"Circumstances allowing, I'm donating my brain to science."

"Interesting." She scribbled down some short-hand on her pad of paper, then looked up.


	15. POT-Minorshipping

**Author Notes** : This was my first attempt at the scene in Power Of Three where Duke and Ryou hook up. I wrote it quite a while ago, but as I wrote a few more chapters for this story, my plans changed, and I didn't want to dump this entirely, so here it is for you to enjoy.

* * *

"How do you feel about me, Ryou?"

Ryou felt his insides soften as he witnessed a thoroughly vulnerable moment from someone who was always putting on a show. Such a risk, such a leap of faith, deserved to be respected with an honest answer.

"I like you, a lot." Ryou blushed deeply, his fingers fidgeting nervously as he admitted, "Sometimes, I think I like you more than I should."

"May I kiss you?"

"Yes."

"I think I love you, Ryou," Duke confessed in a bold, candid manner that took his friend's breath away. "We can take things slow, as slow as you want. Because I understand what it means to love, now. I—"

Ryou cut him off with a firm kiss that made Duke sigh with pleasure. It lingered as Ryou explored Duke's mouth, their tongues touching in short bursts of tentative contact. When at last Ryou pulled back, they were both breathless.

"Are you ready to end your sex-strike?" Ryou murmured with a blush.

Duke smiled as he placed one foot on the floor then the other, standing up fully and placing his hands on Ryou's hips to pull them against his own. Their legs were staggered, one of Duke's between Ryou's, one of Ryou's between Duke's. Duke kissed Ryou sweetly, briefly, and smiled at him.

"I don't want to have sex, Ryou. I want to make love."

And they did, like neither of them had ever done before.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Ryou whispered in a haze of post-coital pleasure.

"Hm?" Duke nuzzled into Ryou with a smile.

"That was my first time." Ryou pressed his nose into Duke's cheek, nuzzling into him in a way that reminded Duke of a cuddly feline. "I'm glad it was with you. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Kitten." It was the first time Duke ever called Ryou "Kitten."

Ryou purred his soft approval of the endearment as he curled into the curve of his partner's body, Duke tucking Ryou in under his chin as he draped one arm over the pale body beside his.

"Duke?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I love you too."


	16. Mumbleshipping 38: Version 1

"So, what'll it be?" Duke said as he took a bottle off the winerack. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red. Maybe a bottle of rosé instead?"

"The rosé, the Italian nineteen-sixty-something—Hey!" Duke held the bottle out of reach, prompting Ryou's protest.

"Not until you can tell me which song I was quoting." Duke's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Is it that one reggae song you like?" he asked tentatively.

"You wound me!" Duke exclaimed theatrically, placing his hand over his heart. "There are two reggae songs that I like, and one of them is only about _Red Wine_."

"Okay, um, wait, it's the Billy Joel one about Brenda and Eddie, right?"

" _The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie_ is sufficient." Duke stole a kiss and handed him the bottle with a grin. "I also would have accepted _Scenes From An Italian Restaurant_."

"What's the difference between red, white, and rosé wines?" Marik asked curiously, his chin resting on his fist as he sat next to Amane on the small round table set up for them in the wine cellar. Mum, Rishid, and Ishizu had already turned in for the night, but the Kaiba brothers were less than an hour away.

"You see, red wine is the first press of wine from the grapes," Amane explained with an air of confidence. "After that, the color's all squeezed out of them, so the wine that gets squeezed out after that is white. When people get bored of them, they mix 'em together to make a rosé."

Marik's expression narrowed into something dubious. "I may be sheltered, but I'm not stupid."

"At least I tried." Amane grinned impishly as her brother uncorked the bottle

"It has to do with a lot of things, but the press of the wine has nothing to do with it," Duke explained, moving behind the small bar he'd had set up down there. "It has to do more with the kinds of grapes and how ripe they are when they were picked."

He poured a small sip of wine into a glass and downed it, taking a moment to savor it before handing the bottle back to Ryou so he could pour some for Marik and himself.

"It's too bad you don't use wine in cocktails," Duke mused.

"Not that it's going to stop you." Ryou placed one wineglass on the table in front of Marik. "This one's the best rosé we have, which is saying a lot, because we have enough alcohol in this basement to both float and then sink the Titanic."

"The ironic part is, Kaiba didn't even buy much of it," Duke added as he opened a clear glass bottle of dry lavender soda and poured some into the mixer. "This colossal stash of liquor was inherited by the current Kaiba patriarch from his honorary ancestors. Gozaburo stocked up on scotch, his father stocked up on vodka, his father stocked up on bourbon, and before that it was wines, and before that it was whisky, and before that it was mead." He sighed wistfully. "That mead is _really_ good."

"I didn't realize the Kaibas were that established for so long," Amane commented, trying to sneak Marik's glass over to her side of the table.

"Mokuba had to do a research project on his family history for school," Ryou explained. "It was… easier for all of us that he research the Kaibas instead of his biological family."

"To be fair, I think Mokuba researched both and only did the _report_ on the Kaibas."

"And how did alcohol get brought up in this discussion?" Marik asked, taking his glass back from Amane and sneakily casting her a flirty glance.

"Seto explained to Mokuba about the long-standing traditions of the Kaibas," Ryou explained, turning back to Duke and asking, "So how's the new cocktail coming along?"

"You tell me." Duke poured the fizzing drink into a glass and handed it to him.

"It needs more sugar. And cherries…"

"I think you're just craving pastries again. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Which reminds me, I made a special dessert for Marik's birthday. Stay here while I go get it." Duke pecked Ryou's forehead with a smile. "Be good while I'm gone."

"I'll try." Ryou went to sit with Marik and Amane again, settling into a content mood.

"So, I'm curious about something. If you and your family are from Egypt, how did you guys meet?" Amane's reasonable question made Marik immediately uncomfortable. He and Ryou exchanged a glance. The Brit took another sip of wine and dropped his free hand to Marik's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Do you want to tell her, or shall I?" Ryou offered.

"It's my story; I should." There was an understanding between them that Ryou didn't have with anyone else. While Marik was pleased that he was hitting things off with Amane, he wasn't going to lie to her or withhold the truth. "I've recently recovered from Dissociative Identity Disorder."

Ryou gave his hand a special squeeze; he was proud of Marik for owning it and facing it like a man. It wasn't easy, and Ryou knew that firsthand.

"It started when I was ten and escalated into something dangerous about the time I was sixteen. It… brought me to Japan, where I met Ryou and Yugi and Kaiba and the others."

"How so?" His details were too sparse for her to get a solid grip on the story.

"You play Duel Monsters, right?"

"Yeah."

"I participated in the Battle City finals," Marik said slowly. Her eyes lit up, and he could see that she understood.

"Oh, you're _that_ Marik Ishtar? I didn't recognize you."

"Yes, well, _he_ is long gone," Marik assured. "And trust me, we're all better off because of it."

"Why is that?" She didn't mean to be insensitive, but she wanted to know.

Marik struggled with words for a few moments before he gave her the easy answer: "He was trying to take over the world." She blinked at him in disbelief. "Using… trading cards."

Ryou was tempted to elbow Marik in the ribs; he'd managed to avoid all discussion of magic with his family, afraid of how he might come across to them.

"So, didya see the game last night?" Ryou interjected to break the awkward silence. He only succeeded in making his friend and his sister snicker.

"You don't watch sports," Amane pointed out.

"No, but I'd _rather_ be talking about sports." Ryou's eyes dropped to his hands, and he drained his glass, starting to understand _why_ people drank wine. Marik looked at him curiously for a few moments, picking his words carefully.

"You haven't told them, have you?"

"Haven't told us what?" Amane's interest was piqued, which was exactly what Ryou _didn't_ want.

 **"I haven't told them about the Millennium Items, or our alter egos, or the Shadow Games, or anything of the sort."** Ryou had slipped into Japanese so that Amane couldn't understand him. **"They don't know anything about magic, and I'd like to keep it that way."**

"No fair!" Amane protested, but the conversation continued without her.

 **"Don't you think they should know?"**

 **"What good would it do? They don't need to know about the Millennium Items anymore than they need to know about your childhood,"** Ryou pointed out shrewdly. **"Besides, I'd sound crazy to them. At least** ** _you_** **have a real explanation for most of what happened."**

 **"Just because magic was involved doesn't make it any less real."**

 **"Yes, but most people wouldn't believe it if I told them, which makes it a significantly harder story to share."**

I"If you keep doing this, I'm going to drink straight from this bottle," Amane threatened.

"Amane, do you believe in magic?" Marik's question was direct and serious, taking the teenager by surprise.

 **"Do you really want her to know what you did?"** Ryou asked, making a last-ditch attempt to stop this from progressing. It worked, and while Amane was still blinking in shock at Marik's question, the Egyptian shook his head and murmured a reluctant "nevermind."

"This is getting weird." Amane narrowed her eyes at the both of them. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"Yes, but it's for your own good." Ryou took the bottle back from his sister and refilled his own glass, then Marik's.

"I'm going to get a soda." She stood up and left, unsettled by the strange atmosphere of the room. When she was gone, Ryou sighed with relief and leaned against Marik's side, closing his eyes.

"I don't want them to know because I don't want them to be afraid of me," Ryou whispered. "I just want to leave all of that in the past, you know?"

"Yes, I understand." Marik nuzzled his head against Ryou's, closing his eyes too.

"You're one of the lucky ones, you know," Ryou said after a short pause. "Most people with DID don't lose their other personalities over time, they just learn how to manage them."

"Every day I'm grateful that he's gone." Marik released his wineglass to take Ryou's hand in both of his and bring it to his lips. "I think I've finally come to terms with my past and what he did. I can look at it, accept it, then take a breath and just walk away. I guess time is the best cure for memory." Ryou hummed soft agreement.


	17. Let Me Soothe You-7 Spit

**A/N: Yeah... this was supposed to happen, but I gave up. Maybe if I had some kind of experiences with anime cons I would know how to write this scene. I didn't think this story through...**

* * *

"Now, the first member of our Q&A panel, the young creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, a game that took America by storm, Duke Devlin!" The MC on the corner of the stage gestured to his side as Duke Devlin, smiling, winking, waving, and blowing kisses to some of his fans as he crossed the stage and took his seat at the table.

"It just keeps getting better, folks! Now, presenting one of the world's top ranked duelists and CEO of ShroederCorp, Zigfried von Shroeder!" ShroederCorp was an international corporation with a further reach than Dungeon Dice Monsters, so Zigfried's applause was louder than Duke's, but not by much. Zigfried smiled and waved, but was more contained than Duke's enthusiastic appreciation of the crowd. Kaiba glared at Zigfried as his German rival sat at the panel's table. _Sure, he's one of the world's top ranked duelists, but he barely makes it into the top one hundred_ , he thought sourly.

"Now presenting the world's second-ranked duelist, former Duel Monsters champion, inventor of the duel disk"—the crowd was _already_ cheering louder than it had for Zigfried, which made Kaiba smirk with satisfaction—"and CEO of KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba!"

Kaiba stepped onto the stage at his cue, smiling in his own way as he greeted the audience and took a seat, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"And now, the creator of Duel Monsters himself, the founder, president, and CEO of Industrial Illusions, Maximillion Peeeeeeegasus!"

Kaiba refused to even turn his head as Pegasus entered with all his usual flamboyance, his left eye hidden behind his hair as usual.

"Alright, now for a little reminder of the rules: keep things civil so that everyone can enjoy the event, and we won't have any problems." The MC cleared his throat and turned to the two lines of people lined up behind two separate microphones at the front of the auditorium. "Now, first question from the little lady over there." The MC pointed to the teenage girl at the front of one line, and the questions began.

"This is a question for all of you, except for Pegasus I guess," the teenager began timidly. "I was just wondering, what was your first Duel Monsters card?"

"The only card I can remember from my first booster pack was the Niwatori Chicken," Kaiba answered indifferently.

" _My_ first card was my Valkyrie Brunhild."

Kaiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the flamboyant German.

"My first booster pack had Dicephoon, Quantum Cat, Vampire Lord, Wotopon, Fire Princess, and some kind of Aromage, I can't recall which one," Duke listed calmly. "I later traded my Aromage for my Gradius, though."

"Next question!"

"This question is for Kaiba: It's no secret that you're a fan of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon"—possibly the greatest understatement of all time—"But what I'm wondering, and a lot of other people too, is how did that interest start for you?"

Not a bad question, and something Kaiba hadn't much thought about recently. Sure, Mokuba's drawing was the first Blue-Eyes card he'd ever had, but Mokuba had only made it for him because he knew Seto wanted it.

"I've been fascinated by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon for as long as I can remember," he answered coolly. "The game is just that _old_."

In the back of the audience, Joey face-palmed. Idiot. Hadn't Seto promised not to antagonize the others? He pulled out his phone and sent Seto a text that the brunette would see, even though his phone would remain still and silent.

[Knock it off smartass]

Seto dropped his eyes to his phone screen just long enough to read the words and smirk. Now that the audience had finish reacting to his jab at the Duel Monsters creator, Pegasus was ready to take a swing.

"I was in this industry while you were still in diapers, Kaiba, and you still have a lot to learn."

"Oooooooo~!" The audience was enjoying this, and Joey could tell as much. Maybe there was a difference between playful banter and true antagonism, at least when it was between Kaiba and Pegasus. They were equally capable of both, but right now, maybe Joey was only witnessing the former?

"If that's the case, then remind me, whose stocks are higher than whose right now?"

Pegasus scowled and tossed his hair, knowing full well that KaibaCorp's stocks were on an upswing, currently at an all-time high. Industrial Illusions had good stock, but they were fairly steady. What they lacked in mobility, they made up for in consistency.

"Alrighty then," the MC said with the suave of Ryan Seacrest. "Next question!"

"This question is for all of you," the average-looking college student said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "What would you do if you had only one month left to live?"

"That's a ridiculous question," Kaiba retorted immediately. "What I do with that time is entirely dependent upon circumstances and cause of death." He crossed his arms and sat back, leaning away from the microphone. He'd never liked such a stupid question. Joey wondered if Kaiba was just avoiding divulging personal information.

"I'd use my last month to travel the world," Duke answered with that dreamy look that had earned him more fangirls than Kaiba.

"I would spend my last month getting my estate in order." Zigfried threw Kaiba a pointed glare.

"You should _already_ have those things sorted out," Kaiba scoffed, and this time he did roll his eyes.

"So you already have your will in order?"

"Of course I do."

"I do too!" Pegasus interjected, though few people were paying him any attention right now.

"What kinds of provisions do you have in your will?" asked the next fan in line at the microphone. She was looking at Kaiba, but Pegasus answered first.

"Since I have no living family, I've arranged for postmortem liquidation of all my assets and for all my money to be donated to children's charities."

"As if that could make up for what you've done," Kaiba muttered. Two blue eyes glared at a single bland brown one, the air between them crackling with tension.

[SHUT UP] Joey texted him anxiously.

"Can we get back to the card games now?" Duke asked, being the only one bold enough to disrupt them.

"Yes please."

"Alright, who's up next?" the MC said, turning back to the line of con attendees waiting behind the microphone.

 _(more stuff happening; Zigfried gets dragged off-stage by security, Duke takes off his shirt to distract the audience from that)_

* * *

When Joey and Kaiba fled KameCon, they went straight back to their hotel, wanting to relax with each other and shut out the world that was trying to intrude on them. They closed the curtains and turned off the lights and held each other with the delicious brush of skin against skin while a crappy soap opera played on the TV. They lazed about and messed around and played like they hadn't a care in the world, all of last night's conflict forgotten.

* * *

 **A/N : I was going to include his interview with the blogger, but I was too lazy to finish it (and it didn't fit in quite so well), so I posted it to _Deleted Scenes_.**


	18. Rise Up: 9 Alternate Ending

**A/N: This is what I originally planned on doing in chapter 9 of Rock Bottom, but then I realized was that instead of more drama and Puppyshipping fodder, I needed to have a moment where I just stuck it to the episode writers and gave Seto a badass moment.**

* * *

It was a quiet couple of minutes as Seto brooded over his cards and Ryou watched the timer count every passing second. When it hit thirty, he finally lost his resolve.

"You need to take your turn, Seto." The two friends locked gazes over the water and the holograms. "Just attack me now. There's no time left."

"I'm sorry, Ryou." Seto bowed his head slightly, regret twisting like a snake in his stomach. "But this is one puzzle I couldn't solve." He turned his head a little and looked Joey in the eye, his gaze meaningful. "If I could have drawn Ring of Destruction by now, this would have ended differently."

 _Twenty, nineteen, eighteen..._

Ryou was already bracing himself for what would come next, Marik holding his breath as he hoped for the impossible.

"I activate Mooyan Curry"—he'd set the card during an earlier turn, and already paid the 500 life-point price demanded by Chain Energy—"And choose to use it on Ryou!"

"What?" Ryou's eyes widened in shock as his life-points increased by 200.

"What's he doing?" Mai murmured in surprise.

"Now I attack your life-points directly with Ancient Lamp!" The attack left Ryou with only 100 life-points.

"Doing what he does best," Joey sighed as he realized what was happening. "Taking care of those he cares about without a second thought for himself." He barely had a moment to take in Marik's sad expression aimed at the blond before they all returned their divided attention to the duel before them.

"And I summon Saggi the Dark Clown, in attack mode!"

"No!" Mokuba couldn't stop himself from shouting in protest. The very _act_ of summoning Saggi had just depleted the last of Seto's life-points. He'd lost the duel.

"Why?" Ryou asked, his voice thick with emotions as he tried to keep himself from tears. "Why would you do that, Seto?"

"Hurry and free yourself, before it's too late!"

Ryou made no attempt to move, so Marik decided to spring into action. He ran forward to his friend and knelt down to open the small chest containing the key that would separate Ryou from the anchor about to drop.

"Don't worry about me, Mokuba," Seto said all too calmly as he removed the duel disk from his arm and set it down. "The duel's not over yet."

"It is over, and you need to forfeit your Millennium Item, as you agreed to do," the unwelcome figure shouted as he held Mokuba by his side.

Seto didn't respond as he removed the Millennium Rod from his belt and lay it beside his duel disk.

 _This had better work_ , Seth thought grimly.

 _It will. I'll be back before you know it._

The timer was still going.

 _Five, four, three..._

"I'm counting on you, Joey." Seto stood tall as he stepped up to the edge of boardwalk and looked hard at his friend. He couldn't tell Joey what he was supposed to do, but surely the blond could figure it out.

The timer reached zero, the anchor dropped, and Seto stepped off just in time to be dragged into the deep.

"Take these!" Joey said, shoving a pair of cellphones and a pair of wallets in Mai's direction before taking off at a hard sprint. While Mai was still trying to keep from dropping what she'd been given, Joey was already in high gear.

"Don't move, Ryou!" he called, quickly equipping himself with the brunette's duel disk. "I'm finishing this duel for Seto." He commanded Saggi to attack Ryou's life-points directly, and Ryou took the blow without protest. The instant Ryou's life-pionts reached zero, Joey was already taking off the duel disk and reaching for the lid of the box at his feet. He snatched the key and dove into the harbor without a second thought, Mokuba wringing his hands and holding his breath as he waited to see if Joey would be able to save his brother in time.

Joey thanked his lucky stars that he was a strong swimmer, because Seto was deeper than he'd initially anticipated. The murky water was difficult to see through, but there was no mistaking that mop of brown hair waving with the current. Joey's lungs were already burning, so he wasn't surprised that Seto seemed to have already released his breath already.

Joey wasn't surprised, but it did send a fresh jolt of panic through him, making him take the moment to share his air with him, taking Seto's face in his hands and pressing their lips together so he could breathe into his lungs. Feeling the press for time, Joey scrambled with the key as he struggled to unlock the shackle that tethered him to the anchor. The instant he got the brunette's leg free, he grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him upward towards the light, as fast as he could make himself swim. They broke the surface together, Seto finally showing signs of life as he began to choke and gasp.

"He's alright!"

"Seto!"

"Oh, thank heavens."

Seto was still coughing up water as Ryou and Marik helped haul him up onto the dock. Joey sat beside him as they dripped water onto the wooden boards. He'd barely recovered his breath when Mokuba threw himself at his brother, almost knocking him over completely.

"You're okay!" the child exclaimed, hugging his brother around the neck as he tried to hold back tears of relief.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Seto murmured, lifting a hand to Mokuba's head and patting it reassuringly.

"Hey, he's getting away!" Marik shouted, pointing in the direction of the thug who was running off and drawing the others' attention to him too. He didn't get very far, though, before Mai dashed out in front of him, pulling something out of her purse.

"Take that, you bastard!" she shouted as she aimed her pepper spray at his face. He started cursing, saying that it burned his eyes, and Mai took advantage of that moment to give him a proper kick in the crotch.

Joey, Ryou, Marik, and Seto simultaneously flinched.

"That's what you get for kidnapping children, you sick, filthy pervert!" she shouted at him as he sank to the ground, the distant sound of police sirens getting louder as the cars came closer. While the others were distracted, Joey turned to look at Seto and gave him a small nudge.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He pushed his wet bangs off of his forehead and added, "I just need a change of clothes before I can continue with the tournament."

"Back to my house it is, then." Joey shook his head, scattering loose water from his hair and spattering his companions in the process.


	19. Booty Call 13: Extension

**A/N: The deleted, unfinished extension of Chapter 13 of "Booty Call." The chapter was almost much longer than it is, but then I decided to stop and crop this chunk off. The length was one indication that I needed to stop, but the philosophical bit at the end was another indicator too. ^-^'**

* * *

As Joey fetched the bottle, finding it after a brief search, he wondered how long Kaiba had been hurting before Joey realized. Had he been in pain the whole time, ever since he'd turned away from him? Was that _why_ he'd turned away, too proud to express his pain before someone he considered an inferior? When he returned to the brunette—how did he manage to look so mature when he was barely older than Joey himself?—he handed him the plastic medicine bottle and watched him shake the rounded pellets out into his hand, then swallow them dry.

"Geez, Kaiba, pace yourself."

"I trust modern medicine," Kaiba retorted as he screwed the lid back on.

"The bottle says to take _two_ , not _four_."

An indifferent shrug was his only response, so Joey decided to seat himself beside Kaiba, shoulder to shoulder as he waited for any signs of improvement. He didn't really know what those signs would look like, but he knew that he wasn't going to leave him, not like this. Maybe Kaiba was already feeling better, and he was just waiting for Joey to leave. But, if that were the case, he'd be telling him, not sitting there with his eyes closed and his head back. Then those eyes opened, and Joey turned away, a bit embarrassed to have been caught staring at him.

"There are two human responses to pressure," Kaiba said after a little while, his voice taking on the more patient tone he occasionally used with his brother. "You're either crushed by the force, or you rise to the occasion."

"Aren't there more responses than that, though?"

"Not really. That's what they all boil down to." Seto shifted a little so that the drawer handle wasn't digging into his back quite so uncomfortably. "And _I_ have to rise."

"Do you?" Joey murmured, his words tinged with an inexplicable sadness.

"I _have_ to. My life has to be like this"—he gestured with his hand, making a smooth, upward hyperbolic curve—"It has to keep going up."

"You'll hit the ceiling sooner or later." Joey tipped his head to the side, letting it rest against Kaiba's.

"There is no ceiling: you are limited only by your own mind and your resources. Not even the latter, really, because there's always room for mobility. If you need money, you get a job. You get a job by talking to people. If you don't know the language, you immerse yourself in it until you do. You work hard, you save up, you move up." Kaiba spoke calmly, as if this progression were something he'd seriously considered in the past. To be fair, it probably was. "A free market economy removes all unreasonable hindrances to allow people to use the full range of their potential. What they do with their freedom is entirely up to them. And because I am free, I choose to move up."

Joey was amazed. That was probably the most he'd ever heard Kaiba say all at once, especially about something so... intellectual.

"But you said that you have to. That makes it sound like it's inevitable. So which is it? Is it inevitable or is it your choice?"

"Yes." He smirked, an expression that Joey heard in his voice rather than saw on his face. "It's both/and, Wheeler. The future isn't decided until it's the present, and by the time it becomes present, it's already past. We are fated by our natures and our choices, which shape our own identities and habits. But these are also shaped and limited by the resources we were given at birth. It's not a question of fate _or_ free will, just like it's not a question of nature _or_ nurture. Both are established influences, it's only a question of _to what degree_ each is influential and what you're going to do about it."


	20. MysMess x YGO Crossover: Jumin x Kaiba

Now, how to get back at Zen...

Two cups of catnip tea later, he'd already made himself an account on a fandom site and was busy convincing Zen's fans that he secretly loved cats. None of them knew about his allergy, so it wasn't too hard to convince them. One girl had already made a sketch of Zen with cat ears and a kitty face, and other fans were conspiring to create more refined art of that topic. Suddenly, he'd received a private message from a username that he didn't recognize from the flurry of fangirls he'd been communicating with. He clicked on the envelope icon in the top right-hand corner of the webpage.

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Is that you?  
Message: Jumin, is that you? It's me, Seto. What are you doing here?

Username: Elly_belly  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: Seto? What are you doing here? How did you recognize me?

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: Your icon is a picture of Elizabeth the Third. Besides, you named yourself Elly. I'll have to call you that from now on.

Jumin swallowed hard, the ache in his chest beginning to throb once more as he recalled what could have been. He'd been able to forget about it during his fit of anger, but now everything was returning. He hadn't even responded when he received another message.

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: I was just about to try getting in touch with you, actually. Jaehee asked me to. She said that nobody could get a hold of you, and they weren't sure if you were alright. It's absurd for us to keep talking like this; I'll call you, okay?

Jumin's fingers hesitated over the keyboard, and he was about to tell him not to bother, but then he grabbed his phone instead and turned it back on. It had barely finished turning on when it began to vibrate and the screen lit up with Kaiba's name. He put his laptop on the coffee table and lay back on the couch as he answered the call and put his phone to his ear.

"Jumin, are you okay?"

The concern that laced his voice made the pain in Jumin's chest sharper, but it was the words that wormed into his brain.

Was he okay?

"I'm not hurt."

"What happened? Jaehee wouldn't give me any details."

Did he want to tell him what had happened? If he were to tell Kaiba about crashing Luciel's car, he'd have to explain why, and if he explained why, Jumin wouldn't be able to hide his denial from his would-be partner. What to do...

"Jumin, are you still there?"

"Yeah..."

"You're worrying me."

Jumin could tell, too, in the timbre of his voice, the earnestness of the pitch... God, he loved that voice.

"Jumin, I'm coming to visit you. Jaehee sounded frantic over the phone, and I don't trust that you're alright."

"Okay." His answer was quiet because he didn't know what else to say.


	21. Questioning: Alternative Scene

Now, how to get back at Zen...

Two cups of catnip tea later, he'd already made himself an account on a fandom site and was busy convincing Zen's fans that he secretly loved cats. None of them knew about his allergy, so it wasn't too hard to convince them. One girl had already made a sketch of Zen with cat ears and a kitty face, and other fans were conspiring to create more refined art of that topic. Suddenly, he'd received a private message from a username that he didn't recognize from the flurry of fangirls he'd been communicating with. He clicked on the envelope icon in the top right-hand corner of the webpage.

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Is that you?  
Message: Jumin, is that you? It's me, Seto. What are you doing here?

Username: Elly_belly  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: Seto? What are you doing here? How did you recognize me?

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: Your icon is a picture of Elizabeth the Third. Besides, you named yourself Elly. I'll have to call you that from now on.

Jumin swallowed hard, the ache in his chest beginning to throb once more as he recalled what could have been. He'd been able to forget about it during his fit of anger, but now everything was returning. He hadn't even responded when he received another message.

Username: behind_blue_eyes  
Subject: Re: Is that you?  
Message: I was just about to try getting in touch with you, actually. Jaehee asked me to. She said that nobody could get a hold of you, and they weren't sure if you were alright. It's absurd for us to keep talking like this; I'll call you.

Jumin's fingers hesitated over the keyboard, and he was about to tell him not to bother, but then he grabbed his phone instead and turned it back on. It had barely finished turning on when it began to vibrate and the screen lit up with Kaiba's name. He put his laptop on the coffee table and lay back on the couch as he answered the call and put his phone to his ear.

"Jumin, are you okay?"

The concern that laced his voice made the pain in Jumin's chest sharper, but it was the words that wormed into his brain.

Was he okay?

"I'm not hurt."

"What happened? Jaehee wouldn't give me any details."

Did he want to tell him what had happened? If he were to tell Kaiba about crashing Luciel's car, he'd have to explain why, and if he explained why, Jumin wouldn't be able to hide his denial from his would-be partner. What to do...

"Jumin, are you still there?"

"Yeah..."

"You're worrying me."

Jumin could tell, too, in the timbre of his voice, the earnestness of the pitch... God, he loved that voice.

"Jumin, I'm coming to visit you. Jaehee sounded frantic over the phone, and I don't trust that you're alright."

"Okay." His answer was quiet because he didn't know what else to say.


	22. Rise Up 11: Character Decks

I spent a lot of time (perhaps way too much time) creating the decks that Mai and Bakura use in chapter 11 of "Rise Up" so here I am going to tell you what those decks are composed of, in case you actually play the card game like I do and you wanted to give them a try. If you do try them out, let me know how they work for you and what changes you made in order to optimize it.

 **BAKURA'S DECK:**

Monsters:  
1 x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning  
2 x Chaos Sorcerer  
3 x Skull Servant  
3 x Wightprince  
3 x Wightprincess  
3 x Lady In Wight  
3 x Wightmare  
2 x Effect Veiler  
2 x Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit  
3 x King of the Skull Servants  
2 x Gozuki  
3 x Mezuki  
3 x Uni-Zombie

Spells:  
3 x Allure of Darkness  
1 x Foolish Burial  
1 x Mystical Space Typhoon  
1 x Painful Decision  
3 x Dark Door

Traps:  
2 x Just Desserts  
1 x Magic Jammer  
1 x Spellbinding Circle

 **MAI'S DECK:**

Monsters:  
1 x Amazoness Archer  
2 x Amazoness Blowpiper  
1 x Amazoness Chain Master  
2 x Amazoness Fighter  
2 x Amazoness Paladin  
1 x Amazoness Pet Baby Tiger  
2 x Amazoness Princess  
2 x Amazoness Queen  
2 x Amazoness Sage  
1 x Amazoness Scouts  
2 x Amazoness Spy  
2 x Amazoness Tiger  
2 x Amazoness Trainee  
2 x Unfriendly Amazon

Spells:  
2 x Amazoness Call  
1 x Amazoness Fighting Spirit  
1 x Amazoness Heirloom  
1 x Amazoness Spellcaster  
3 x Amazoness Village

Traps:  
1 x Amazoness Ambush  
1 x Amazoness Archers  
1 x Amazoness Shamanism  
1 x Amazoness Willpower  
1 x Dramatic Rescue  
3 x Mirror Force  
2 x Mirror Wall  
2 x Queen's Pawn

Extra Deck:  
2 x Amazoness Empress  
1 x Amazoness Pet Liger


End file.
